January 18th, 2013

Turkey’s new coach Massimo Barbilini speaks on how excited he is with his new job and new team. He also dishes his thoughts on one of his former players from Italy, Francesca Piccinini.

Barbo says:

“I am very happy because I think it is important for a coach to work in a club, but it is also nice to have the chance to work during the summer with a national team. It ‘a unique experience, as the Turkish national team has to grow much, but can already play with top teams.

The coaches of my generation had the good fortune to work when the Italian league was on the highest level, and so we learned a lot and gained experience that is appreciated by foreign clubs. Coaching abroad is important economically, but also the level of the championships is growing.

I think the situation of coaching two teams is abnormal in Italian volleyball, even here in Turkey having two roles is a bit ‘strange, but there are no rules. I enjoy working with Galatasaray.”

On Piccinini:

“I think it’s disrespectful to talk about this small thing that has been given much echoe by journalists who are not usually involved in volleyball. It was a nice scoop, but I think Francesca Piccinini has brought up everyone and not just me. Everyone is free to say whatever they want, she probably was the only one who has twice rejected the call, and then I still called her. I am sorry because we only remember the bad things, but for my part I’m fine with a clear conscience: it is not easy to win an Olympic medal, I hope that those who come after me repeat the six gold medals which I won in other competitions.”

Thoughts?

Get To Know Coach Barbolini:

Born in 1964, Barbolini started out his coaching career in the late ‘80s working first for Panini Modena – the glorious club from his hometown – before moving to Sicily and coach there the team from the city of Agrigento. Starting from 1993 he was the head coach of Latte Rugiada Matera, a side that swept all major national and international competitions, including the Champions Cup and European Supercup. Afterwards he moved to Sirio Perugia, another glory of Italian Volleyball, where he spent some 10 years winning the national league three times (2003, 2005, and 2007), four editions of the national cup (1999, 2003, 2005, and 2007), the CEV Volleyball Champions League in 2006 plus two editions of the CEV Cup and one Cup Winners’ Cup.

(source: volleyball.it/ image: cev.lu)

January 12th, 2013

With this news, there’s a chance Piccinini will return to the Italian National Team. Hah!

Turkish Federation has not released any official announcement yet but Massimo Barbolini, former coach of Italy, has been hired as the new coach of Turkey’s women’s national team. Coach Barbo’s contract is good until the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.

In case you didn’t know, Barbo is pretty much familiar with Turkish volleyball because he’s been coaching one of the top teams in the league, Galatasaray, for 2 seasons now.

Being one of the most successful coaches in the world within the last 5 years or so, Turkey hired the right person for the job.

Under Barbo, Italy won the 2007 and 2011 World Cup & 2007 and 2009 European Championship. Sadly, Barbo failed to take Italy to the Olympic medal podium at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Games.

Congrats on the new job coach!

On the other hand, we wonder what’s next for his predecessor Coach Motta. We heard that the Turkish Federation let him go without valid reasons and/or that the Federation was not too happy with his success with the team.

(images: zimbio.com)