Indian Volleyball Controversy: Senior Players Quit National Camp, Citing Multiple Issues - Report

Indian volleyball has been hit by turmoil as two senior players have quit the national camp in Ahmedabad over "incompetent coaches", removal of foreign coach Dragan Mihailovic, "poor and unscientific facilities" at the camp venue and "politics" in selection.

Anand K, a libero (a defensive position), and middle-blocker John Joseph left the camp on Sunday after their confidential communication to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) seeking better facilities at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Ahmedabad was leaked to the Volleyball Federation of India (VFI).

The VFI, on its part, has denied the charges, calling them "politics at play." Anand, in a conversation with PTI, said that they were asked to apologise and disown the "seven to eight e-mails", complaining of various concerns, which they refused, despite the "imminent risk of a ban by the VFI".

"It's going to be terrible for our careers but the fact is we shouldn't have to play like this. There is no analysis, no recovery, the coaches don't know anything, they are living in the 1950s. The one who was making a difference (Dragan Mihailovic of Serbia) has been removed for no clear reason.

"We were an unranked team but last year at the Central Asian Volleyball Association (CAVA) tournament in Uzbekistan, we finished runners-up. We need to improve, every country is developing but we are going down by doing things like this.

"Everyone in the camp feels the same but they are unwilling to speak like John and I," he added.

The VFI, on its part, said it was unaware of the two players leaving the camp but denied that they had been coerced.

"There is lot of politics going on right now, that's all I would say," said a top VFI official when PTI reached out for a comment, preferring to remain anonymous.

VFI's operations are currently being overseen by a steering committee that comprises officials from the IOA and the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), which has only given an eight-month interim recognition to the Indian body, subject to compliance with administrative norms.

The Steering Committee comprises IOA Executive Council member Rohit Rajpal, CEO Raghuram lyer, FIVB General Sports Director Steve Tutton, FIVB Head of Legal Affairs and General Counsel Stephen Bock and Hitesh Malhotra.

John concurred Anand's statements in a separate conversation and said they had been let down.

"I stand by the complaints," he asserted.

Anand said besides the basic issues of facilities and coaching, the camp is also teeming with "undeserving players."

"Two coaches just stand there, trainer knows nothing about fitness. Physio does not care about players. The foreign coach, on the other hand, had a team that looked after us, analysed individual performances. He tried to improve us," Anand said.

"VFI will not allow us play. They will ban us," he added. "There was a meeting with coaches and we were asked to apologise and continue in the camp but we refused. They needed us to stay because otherwise it would have and has become an issue."

Ahmedabad will host the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Men's Cup from June 20 to 28 at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Naranpura where 12 nations are expected to feature.

Damning E-Mails

In the e-mails sent to IOA, the two players have compared facilities at their previous base of SAI Bengaluru with the centre in Ahmedabad. The players said that SAI Bengaluru had structured and scientifically designed training programs, advanced equipment, clear planning, performance tracking, and strong emphasis on strength and conditioning.

"In comparison, the current Ahmedabad camp is lacking significantly in multiple aspects, making it difficult to meet international standards," stated the e-mail which is in PTI's possession.

Key concerns from players include lack of "clearly defined or scientifically designed training, unstructured and random program, lack of monitoring of workload, increasing injury risks and the absence of a strength and conditioning coach.

"Despite players understanding its importance through professional leagues, this critical component is missing," the e-mail stated.

"If we do not stand up for this today, we are not just failing ourselves -- we are failing the players who will come after us," it added.