2016 CEV DenizBank Champions League

  • Catia Pedrini, president of Modena Volley, said to volleyball.it that her club won't be playing in Champions League anymore, till she's the president.
    Unless a sponsor covers the entire budjet for the competition, the club isn't intrested anymore on playing the cup, since it is just a waste of money. In her opinion Champions League is anachronistic.
    This season is their last chance to win the cup for Bruninho and company.


    Frankly, I grow up in a period in which the REAL champions league was the italian title "scudetto" and still (despite our league is not the NBA of volleyball anymore) I consider more important to win Serie A1 (or at least to be competitive) than Champions League. I still remember when I was a child that I used to consider European cups as dangerous (risk of injuries etc.) and useless. Therefore, if we''ll leave CL next year it would not be a tregedy for me. I hope to find a sponsor, but without it, I don't mind so much: I want to win Serie A1, which for me remains the most prestigious title in volleyball clubs' world :thumbsup:

    Per un pir, un pam un persec per na brogna e na rumleina, nuetr'a sam d'la Ghirlandeina nuetr'a sam da rispeter





  • Frankly, I grow up in a period in which the REAL champions league was the italian title "scudetto" and still (despite our league is not the NBA of volleyball anymore) I consider more important to win Serie A1 (or at least to be competitive) than Champions League. I still remember when I was a child that I used to consider European cups as dangerous (risk of injuries etc.) and useless. Therefore, if we''ll leave CL next year it would not be a tregedy for me. I hope to find a sponsor, but without it, I don't mind so much: I want to win Serie A1, which for me remains the most prestigious title in volleyball clubs' world :thumbsup:


    Yeah, we're probably about the same age. I remember very well when italian teams considered Champions League a minor cup. Once in a match between Kalisz and Bergamo held in Poland, Fenoglio told to her team "we'll be back to home as soon as you win this, do it quickly" or something like that. The only real battles were the italian derby before the F4 and the one in semifinal. :lol: Now italian teams are poor (in terms of money) and russians and turkish teams took their places in men's and women's volleyball.

  • I guess the next step would be quitting Italian league because it's a waste of money and anachronistic and play only in provice championship.
    If you don't have the money just say we don't have the money, why trying to make up some other reasons... Playing against Europe's best teams helps to develop your team. Closing on that opportunity is a shame. When Italian teams had money and beat everyone else easily they didn't call Eurocups anachronistic, strangely enough.

  • I guess the next step would be quitting Italian league because it's a waste of money and anachronistic and play only in provice championship.
    If you don't have the money just say we don't have the money, why trying to make up some other reasons... Playing against Europe's best teams helps to develop your team. Closing on that opportunity is a shame. When Italian teams had money and beat everyone else easily they didn't call Eurocups anachronistic, strangely enough.


    Starting from the end, we did. Of course we did, they were a waste of time and I remember well when we used to put the bench players until the final4 ;)
    By the way, don't worry guys, because I know very well that the italian League is not the best league in the world anymore (at least for the top teams, because the overall level maybe it's still the best, for example players like Skrimov or Perrin plays right now in the weakest italian clubs, and teams like Verona or Perugia in any other leagues would fight for the final victory...). Neverthless, because Serie A1 has a name and a prestige that live thorugh a reputation bult over decades of domination, I am still more happy to win that than CL. I know that I could appear snobbish, but Serie A1 is Serie A1.


    Anyway, again, I hope to find a sponsor because I would like to fight against best Russian and Polish teams, but if in order to do it we'll have to renounce to Bruno, Ngapeth etc., so no. Thank you anyway, but no. The Italian Championship is very much more importat: this is Serie A1 ;)


    p.s. Ravens, I'm 25 years old

    Per un pir, un pam un persec per na brogna e na rumleina, nuetr'a sam d'la Ghirlandeina nuetr'a sam da rispeter




  • Still on the topic of whether it makes sense to participate in the Champions League or not, volleyball.it released a very interesting article with some specific numbers, such as monetary awards, registration fees, etc. You can use Google Translate, this is the article. I never knew what it costs to get registered or how much the winning team receives. Of course, there are some unknown variables like expenses for the home matches organization, accommodation (for visiting teams and referees), but the whole point is very clear. We've had this discussion once here, a few years ago maybe, and we pretty much reached the same conclusion as Modena's president. If I were a president, I would still want my club to take part in the Champions League, but mainly due to prestige, not due to potential profit I could make. This is a huge problem CEV haven't been able (or have been unwilling) to solve for years. We even put aside for a while the increase of the number of participants. The tournament (or the early stages) is not as attractive right now as it could be and money, which sink somewhere, is only one of the issues.


    I totally understand Modena's president's point and I yet it will always remain more prestigious to beat the best Polish and Russian (and even fellow Italian) teams, regardless of the strength/popularity of your local league. And if top clubs are starting to think otherwise and are dependent on sponsors, not tournament results, to scratch a living, then you know CEV are doing something really wrong.

  • I think better to take only 6 Teams to play off than 12.
    After average main round, shocking matches are still.
    Lotos also with performance without comment.

  • Looks like this is going to be a tough job today for Modena. Too many mistakes and they should somehow overthink their blocking strategy. Always too late for the wing spikers.
    Nice to see Sokolov back on court and obviously in a good shape :thumbup:

  • Now it is getting ugly for Modena, halkbank on fire. :white:


    Maybe pedrini should clarify that she talked about next season.......

  • There have been way too many mistakes by referees in these two days. In almost every game I had the chance to watch there were controversial decisions. And while it didn't matter much in some cases, like in Izmir, due to Arkas' overall performance, in Lodz these mistakes are being crucial right now and decided the second set in favour of Ziraatbank. The earlier we have the Challenge System accepted, the better, regardless of its imperfections sometimes.

  • Just like few decisions in 1st set were in favour of SKRA... pretty bad umpire, completely losing focus from time to time.


    By the way great match in Lodz, SKRA is significantly weaker without Wlazly. On other side Nilsson was invisible for the Turks, Ferreira and Jeoren werent any good as well. If Wlazly returns SKRA is my pick for Playoff 6.


    Regarding match in Ankara, impressive display by Halkbank. Even Tsetso was top scorer I would point out Le Roux as MVP :obey: his serves were tearing apart Modena's reception and every time he served on N'Gapeth was looking for him and smile :rolll: Petrić's absence is big blow for Lorenzetti, Nikić is far from his best days and other sub doesnt exist.

  • Still on the topic of whether it makes sense to participate in the Champions League or not, volleyball.it released a very interesting article with some specific numbers, such as monetary awards, registration fees, etc. You can use Google Translate, this is the article. I never knew what it costs to get registered or how much the winning team receives. Of course, there are some unknown variables like expenses for the home matches organization, accommodation (for visiting teams and referees),


    I had an opportunity to speak with director of one Austrian team in season when they played in Challenge Cup. Costs for refs aren't small, they got refs from Portugal and Spain even it was clash between 2 Austrian teams. Club was covering their flight and acommodation, since they were from Portugal & Spain they came one day earlier. They also got wage for each day + wage for the match. So expenses r big. From this season CEV is trying to delegate refs from neighboring countries as I remember. Refs on VaLePa - Berlin were from Lithuania and Norway


    I knew team need app around 100k to 150k, it was case with Mladost Zagreb few years ago but they couldnt get 150k to participate.