Korea is not a remote island in the volleyball world. Strong criticism from the winning coach for not being allowed to participate in foreign competitions
Sep 13, 2025
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Everyone was surprised by the news, such as the sudden bolt of the blue sky. This is because foreign players were not allowed to participate in the International Volleyball Federation a day before the 2025 Yeosu-NH Nonghyup Cup Professional Volleyball Championship, which was said to allow foreign players to participate.
The competition will start with the men's team at Jinnam Indoor Gymnasium in Yeosu on the 13th. Foreign players and Asian quarter players who have been preparing hard and have come down to Yeosu together have no choice but to go back without performing in front of fans.
Hyundai Capital coach Philip Blanc, who prepared for the championship with Leo and Bayarsaihan after Huh Soo-bong's Shin Kyung-min fell into the national team, could not hide his embarrassment.
Coach Blanc met with reporters ahead of the opening game of OK Savings Bank on the 13th and was told that he could not use our players over breakfast on the morning of the game for the first time in my volleyball life"It's truly a pity. While preparing for this Kobo Cup with the players, I shared all my goals and trained hard looking at only one goal, but everything changed in a day.
Then "Korea is by no means a remote island alone in the world of volleyball." We have to move together and do it together in the world of volleyball"There can be no such thing as hosting a game during the World Championship. I hope you can recognize it well again. If the federation had defined the nature of the tournament as a friendly match, it would have brought in a squad suitable for the friendly match. But it's a cup competition, so I've prepared with all the players."
Blanc said "I felt bad and sorry when I told Leo and Bayarsaihan in the morning that I couldn't play even though I worked out together."Nevertheless, I asked the players to do their best because it is a stage where it can be a good opportunity for our young players."
Blanc spoke of the importance of the Cup. Ahead of the regular league, it showed a slightly different view from the nature of the exhibition game. "The Cup is the second most important tournament after the regular league," Blanc said. "If it's a general friendly and practice game, I think the Cup should be the best player and show the best performance." However, a team without a representative player is likely to win. I hope the federation will consider this as well."
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
