Mari speaks up about Brazil NT problems and considers playing for Germany NT!

  • Hi guys! Sorry to open a new threat about this, but I imagine was quite surprising intervew that came out this morning, and since involve two NT...hehe...I decided this should deserve an exclusive topic to talk about it.


    Mari finally decided to speak up about being away from Olympic Games, her problems with Zé Roberto and inside NT.


    She also said in the interview to Isto É magazine that will be released this thrusday (uol had access to the magazine), that she has german passaport, so she is in touch with Guidetti to maybe defend Germany next World Championship and Olympic Games (honestly I see hard that really happening, and she didnt say it will happen, just that is a possibility, many brasilians already dont like her, and I cant imagine how the crowd would react to see her playing in Brazil the Olympic Games for another country...anyway, If she wants to keep playing in NT level, I guess that could be a solution, If there is no way back with Brazil NT).


    Here is the interview - http://esporte.uol.com.br/vole…m-jogar-pela-alemanha.htm


    Ill translate her quotes from the site soon. ;)

  • "I was victim of injustice. I don't have any relantionship with him (Zé Roberto) anymore and I don't intend to have", started the player "I'm not thinking about National Team. I fell my job is done for what I did already. If I come back to NT will be because I want and I like it, not because I have to."


    She talks about the reasons Zé gave to cut her, saying he didnt fell her energy anymore. But Mati insists she still does not understand the reasons he gave: "I think is easy for him to speak certain things, that my energy was not good, that he advised me. Now, stays in his consciousness. I passed by three Olympic cicles to in the end of the last one be cut off. Zé didnt care for what added to National Team. He acted really bad."


    According to UOL site, they said they checked with some people closer to the group saying Mari situation inside the team was also not good, that she once even decided to sleep away from Saquarema training center, where the team was concentrated, without giving much explanations, and that attitude was not well seen by some of the players.


    Mari kept talking about Zé: "Zé Roberto keeps his life and I keep mine. He doesnt need me and I dont need him. Each of us have to take our own road. When I left all players cried and came to talk to me. They said that in the week that the cuts were made the environment in the trainings were not good", Mari critics.


    "Probably with him there, not even him or I want that want it (to come back to NT). But I don't know, everything in life can change."


    MAri also said that during the Olympic Games, the group had a break with the coach cause of the tiredness of many years of work together. "My cut disturbed a lot the group. I know this cause I speak with the players. The girls got closer and got united to win the title. But the relationship between Zé and the girls was worn. If the girls had not stop and talked to do all over again, the gold medal would not have happened. The girls are really the big deserves of the medal."


    Tehre was indeed in London a reunion with all the players and staff after the terrible first round qualification. Zé had a reunion with the rest of the staff in the night before to arrange how would be the talk with the players in the next morning. The conclusion was that fighting was not be worth it. So It had only one request: "Play for yourselves, for your honor, for your names." revelead one of the staff members.


    Mari also revealed she does not care that much for coming back. " I have an option to play for Germany National Team If I want to, cause I have german passport. Options I have. If I want to play another World Championship, another Olympic Games, I can do it in Germany. I'm a good friend of Giovanni Guidetti, the italian that coaches the team. It came to him that I have the possibility to get the german passport. I have all the documentation already to do it. When he knew about that, he came to talk to me about it."


    Mari also denies that her cut was about a bad relationship with Sheilla: " I have a great relationship with Sheilla and her family. Before London I went to Belo Horizonte, visited her family, I spent the hole day with her grandmam. We are friends and talk to each other. I talked a lot to Sheilla before and during the Olympic Games."


    Now is to wait for the magazine to come out to see If has anything more. ;)

  • Thank you Joanamss, this is indeed very exclusive that deserves an own topic. Hopefully you can translate it in the next days. There must be real issues. I knew that Mari had german descendants and also the german pass, but it must had happen some big problems there. Lets see whats going on, since both, Mari and Gui are in Turkey. Maybe they talked to each other for this


    Edit: you were very quicj, thx for the translation :flower:

  • Wonderful? :rolll: :rolll: :rolll: c'mon, if it was 2004 this would be strong reinforcement for Germany but now :lol: :lol: We see Her shape.. non-shape.

  • It's quite interesting :) . I would like her to play in GER NT :) She has German surname so I think she has some relatives from Germany. It maybe wouldn't be so unnatural (like for example Aguero in ITA NT). :whistle:

  • I don't really think Mari's comments should be taken too seriously. When you take the case of Costagrande or Aguero, for example, they both lived in Italy and played in club teams and were immersed fully in the country which made sense to transition federations. However, Mari's never played in Germany nor does she have any real connection in terms of living there. She's also 29 years old and has already played in two Olympics. Does she really want to sit out two years to change federations and then move to Germany? I doubt it.


    I think this is more of a defense mechanism to deal with her bitterness of being cut from the Olympic roster, which I still side with her about.

  • Actually, If Im not mistaken, Mari is from a city in South of Brazil that has a strong german roots, and she learned how to speak german as kid. It is commom in some small cities in South that the local population learn german as well as portuguese. And they also keep alive many of german culture. We even have a very famous Oktoberfest in Blumenau. It is one of the biggest parties in Brazil that happens every year. So I think adapting would not be a problem for her.


    But, again...I dont think that this will happen...I think she said more in a way that she has the opportunity If she wants to keep ´çaying big tournaments and If Zé keeps as Brazil Nt coach.

  • Mari can't say anything... She was playing badly since 2009, when she came back from Italy and played for São Caetano. I didn't liked about what she said, this is a personal thing about Brazil NT. :down:

  • regarding her current "non-shape" form. well, she is getting older after all. but back in 2007, when her form is at the lowest, she came back so strong just a year after at 2008 and look at the results. i mean, look at sokolova, her form is up and down but when she wants it to, she can be as monstrous as ever on the court. so yeah, im still hoping for her "real" return... :box:


    about being on the german NT: well, it's her choice. as long as she can play well w/ them then i guess it's fine. it'll be very awkward (and fun!!! :lol: ) though playing against her former teammates.


    lastly, welllllllllllllll... her removal from the NT was fishy to begin with. at least she could have helped more than someone we know (natalia)

  • Playing for Germany NT, as you all mentioned, is just an option that she has. I think what she spoke up is to clear her name that had been treated disrespectfully, especially by Zé Roberto. For a player that had contributed so much at 08' Olympic and had spent so many years in Brazil NT, she deserves better than cutting by "non-technical" readiness. If she's not ready technically, then why the coaches thought that Natalia was? This is the question that Zé Roberto never answers directly.


    As her fan, I can't deny that she didn't play well since 2010, but what I care most is that she seems less enthusiastic. I, personally, think less of passion is her biggest issue. If she can find the passion back, I bet she will find her glory again which will clear her name wordlessly. Since 04' Olympic, she has been through so much. However, there's no glory without suffering. If she can survive from all this, she'll be a greater player than she is now. Wish her best of luck as I always do.

  • good thing i am not a die hard mari fan cause if that were so i might have cried over the "injustice" of non-inclusion :lol:

  • Haha very interesting Guidetti really liked Mari i think he will try to convince her btw she isn't that bad she just needs a push may be Guidetti can give it to her :lol: After seeing what he has done with Furst after Ze catastrophe i believe he can motivate Mari too

  • Some other players from London confirmed today what Mari said about the enviroment inside the NT between the players and Zé not being the best, during the Official Party that Opens Brazilian League.


    Sheilla: "Mari was there inside and knew what was going on. I won't say she lied cause she knew what was going on. Many things that she talked about it she is right."


    Fabiana: "She lived with us, she was part of the group and know everything that was going on. But I think that what happened inside the group, stays and dies inside the group. There were some things, we were a bit distance, I don't know If it was cause of the preassure, the tiredness, the nerve racking, but later we started to talk, to get closer, and things started to get better during the time."


    Fabi (L): "The environment inside was not good cause we didn't qualify for the Olympic Games before. We had a very hard year in 2011, and ended up questioning ourselves what was going wrong. Mari's blow off is understandable cause of her absence, but I don't like to talk about it."


    Zé was searched by the press but prefered not to talk about it, only said he respects everyone's opinion.


    I wonder now, If he will stays as NT coach or not... :/

  • Is there a better option? We all saw what happened with Marco after Sydney. I think it is one of the most challenging national teams to deal with as a coach. Pressure coming up with huge expectations, complicated and difficult personalities, never-ending criticisms, etc. In my opinion, it is a huge success to lead such a team for almost a decade with two olympics titles and two WCH silvers. It would be really unfair to give all the credit to players for the gold medal. He hasn't had a single injury free and all around OH performing consistently well since 2008. No need to talk about issues with the setters either. Is Brazil the only team in such an unpleasant situation? Everything is getting more public for some reason unfortunately.

  • Is there a better option? We all saw what happened with Marco after Sydney. I think it is one of the most challenging national teams to deal with as a coach. Pressure coming up with huge expectations, complicated and difficult personalities, never-ending criticisms, etc. In my opinion, it is a huge success to lead such a team for almost a decade with two olympics titles and two WCH silvers. It would be really unfair to give all the credit to players for the gold medal. He hasn't had a single injury free and all around OH performing consistently well since 2008. No need to talk about issues with the setters either. Is Brazil the only team in such an unpleasant situation? Everything is getting more public for some reason unfortunately.

    I'll definitely say that in 2008 Brazil was so well prepared for the OG and they really did dominate the tournament. However, in 2012 I think Ze had little to do with their effort. They had an abysmal 2011 and they were not playing very well at all in the preliminary rounds. As the reports said the players had a meeting where they talked about playing for themselves and having fun. They turned it around and were able to elevate their play. Ze didn't do any coaching magic.


    He still dodges the question as to why he cut Mari, who supposedly was in poor form, but took an injured Natalia who hadn't played for well over a year and as a last ditch effort following their 2011 effort he brought in a setter who hadn't played with the NT the entire quadrennial. Players have to have respect for the coach but there has to be reciprocity and he has to respect the group as well which I don't think he did.

  • Players play for themselves and the country they are representing there anyways. Who were they playing for previously? For Ze's sake and happiness? A team will go to a really challenging tournament physically or tactically unprepared and a meeting between the players will change everything drastically. This is way too simplified. They were clearly ready to play since the very beginning and you need to give a bit of credit to the people other than players for this preparation as well. If they didn't perform at their best or commit fully in the preliminary rounds because of ongoing conflicts with the coach, that's another issue to be discussed. I guess after 7 years with the team, changing a coach just 1 year before olympics wouldn't have been a smart decision.


    Although I agree that he didn't make any magical extra moves during the matches, the same thing can be said for many other coaches as well. While Brazilian girls were simply not playing at their usual level for some reason, another Brazilian coach, who had a wonderful experiennce with Brazilian NT before, simply gave the match as a gift on the first day. Do we need to mention the mental collapse of McCutcheon in the final or Massimo's collapse against Korea? What kind of magic were you expecting from Ze to do during the tournament which he didn't?


    Mari or Natalia? Fabiola or Dani or Fernandinha? Everthing ends up as a drama in Brazil.


    Francesca or Giulia? Glass or Thompson? Bown or Scott? The list goes on and on. I don't recall Alisha Glass or Bown creating a buzz themselves via twitter, facebook, interviews, etc. People can question or criticize these guys' choices.. We all have the right to do so. However, I don't think that they have to reveal every single detail behind their decisions to the public. Did anyone read a detailed explanation from US coach why Thompson was there instead of Glass or Llyod? Was it only tactical? Does anyone know the exact problems between Francesca and Massimo? Coaches take these decisions and they deal with the consequences themselves. That's it.

  • I never advocated that they should have changed the coach. If you thought Brazil was well prepared in the preliminary rounds I suggest you rewatch the footage. They lost to Korea and the USA and barely won against Turkey and China. Had the USA not beaten Turkey in the last match of pool play Brazil wouldn't even have made it to the quarterfinals. Well-prepared? I think not.


    I didn't expect any magic from Ze but post win he got all the glory. His post-Olympic media blitz was even greater than any of the players and I don't think its deserved.


    None of the other player comparisons you presented are comparable to Ze making the personal decision to take Natalia. Ze said publicly that he didn't think Mari was in good form. A completely legitimate argument to cut a player from the Olympic roster but not really plausible when you're taking a player who hadn't played for over a year and I'm not sure she even set foot on the court the entire tournament. Of course we'll never know the details but the least a coach should be able to do is be honest in his wording. It's always drama in Brazil, and I'll add Italy to the conversation, because they make it dramatic. Focus on the play and select players based on merit, not based on petty personal relationships, which Ze has been in the press about NUMEROUS times. See Fernanda Venturini. I've also hammered Barbolini quite a bit on this board as well for his decisions so I have no personal vendetta against Ze Roberto. The USA NT was very straightforward in their selection process and thus you didn't see any dramatic flareups post cuts. In fact, you saw athletes like Metcalf and Glass immediately play in the Pan Am Cup following their cut. The fundamental difference is ego.