CEV Excludes Defending Champions

Drama!

We are shocked! We are sad! We can’t stop wondering why in the world the 2011/2012 CEV Champions League Titleholder, Fenerbahce Universal, is EXCLUDED from the 2012/2013 edition. What in the world is going on? It’s kind of hard to fathom a tournament without the defending champions. It’s kind of like the upcoming 2012 London Olympics without Cuba’s women’s volleyball team. Feel us?

In every controversy, there’s always 2 sides. One party questions while the other defends or a bit of both.

So let’s start with the the letter written by Fenerbahce fans sent to André MEYER and the members of CEV Board of Administration.

Here you go:

“Subject: From Beneath Us, TVF Devours…

Recipients: president@cev.lu, competitions@cev.lu, cups@cev.lu, championships@cev.lu, kturowski@cev.lu

Dear André MEYER and the members of CEV Board of Administration:

As Fenerbahçe fans, we fully understand your recent decision on granting Galatasaray a wild card for the upcoming CEV Champions League, and we respect it. However, we wish you had shared with public the reasons why Fenerbahçe – in your words – misbehaved during this year’s Champions League Final Four in Baku before posting a statement on CEV’s official site.

We hope you can explain Fener fans why CEV mandated team Fenerbahçe Universal stay in a hotel which was full of prostitutes. As you know, during the preliminary round, Rabıta Baku managers booked a hotel for our team far from the sports hall, which restrained the players from training enough before the match. In the end, Fenerbahçe lost the game, which was the only loss for the Yellow Angels in 2012 CEV Champions League. When paired with Rabıta Baku later in the quarter finals, team Fenerbahçe did not fall for the Azeri traps again, and our managers booked their hotel themselves. This decision brought the team a very big advantage on the road to the Final Four. When authorities fail to protect the rights of the participating teams, we believe that such proactive actions are understandable.

As you may remember, Fener fans sent you complaint letters since some Rabıta fans behaved unsportsmanlike after the straight-set defeat against Fenerbahçe. Did you ever consider warning club Rabıta Baku and Azerbaijan Volleyball Federation? If so, did you share this information with public, too? Did you also note what these fans did to use as a reference in consideration of a wild card in near future? We are asking since CEV stresses that the decision about Fenerbahçe was meant to send a strong signal for the good of our sport. Volleyball could have benefited from a signal about fair-play, would not you think?

We believe that a word like “mis-behavior” could lead people to unnecessary conclusions and that CEV should have either informed public in detail or never spoken about this decision. We are not surprised with CEV’s attitude though as we remember the frivolous announcement made about the disqualification of Caposud Reggio Calabria from Women’s Indesit European Champions League in 2002.

Yesterday (May 22nd) Thorsten Endres emphasized that Turkish Volleyball Federation (TVF) had no involvement in deciding to whom a wild card should be granted. We could never believe this explanation considering the strong relationship between André Meyer and Erol Ünal Karabıyık, and we suspect that Mr. Karabıyık played the lead role in this stunt. If he insisted on a wild card for Fenerbahçe stressing that the Yellow Angels are the title holders of Champions League, you would never bring these minor issues up. Unfortunately, Mr. Karabıyık never got along with Fenerbahçe Sports Club, and we have experienced his actions to undermine Fenerbahçe’s domestic success more than once. Did you know that very recently he gave all youth teams their medals himself except for team Fenerbahçe? Did you ever see his face when handing Fenerbahçe a cup? Did you ever wonder why this year’s Turkish champions were determined in the most absurd way?

In your statement, you underline that CEV was not going to impose sanctions on Fenerbahçe if the team did not need a wild card. Mr. Karabıyık’s federation was responsible of blocking Fenerbahçe’s way to the Turkish League finals. If, according to TVF’s regulation, leaders of the regular season got a ticket for the next year’s Champions League, you would not have the chance to admonish Fenerbahçe.

As you may already know, Fenerbahçe Universal had not lost one single game in Turkish League until one-match semi-final against VakıfBank Türk Telekom. Anything could happen in sports, and we have no problem digesting this outcome; however, we cannot accept the fact that TVF encroached on the rights of Fenerbahçe with the most unfair way. A team that lost one out of 26 games in the domestic league… the title holder of Champions League… a team that has invested and will invest millions of dollars in volleyball… could not qualify for the Champions League! Please take a few minutes to read this post to find out examples of Mr. Karabıyık’s dislike for Fenerbahçe Sports Club: http://theyellowangels.wordpress.com/2012/04/12/tvf-turkish-vakifbank-federation/ Or, you may just ask him about his actions in Naz Aydemir’s, Tomislav Coskovic’s, and Giovanni Guidetti’s cases.

We believe that Mr. Karabıyık has been misleading you when it comes to Fenerbahçe. Please do not be a part of this conflict. We, Fener fans, are rooting for a solution to the long-enduring problems between TVF and Fenerbahçe Sports Club.

Mr. Endres mentioned that no objections would change the decision as it was final; however, we must state that CEV has never stood up strongly in many conditions when last decade was considered. We remember that in 2007-08 season, Vakıfbank Güneş Sigorta, finished the previous season in the 3rd place, applied for a wild card and got rejected since CEV did not let three teams from the same city participate in the Champions League. Instead of Vakıfbank, then 5th-ranked Türk Telekom qualified for the Champions League. We do not know how, but this decision was overruled in 2010-11 season, and Eczacıbaşı was granted a wild card, and even though they are all from the same city, Fenerbahçe, Vakıfbank, and Eczacıbaşı competed in that year’s Champions League together. Next year, instead of the second-ranked Fenerbahçe, the third and the fourth ranked teams were granted a wild card. Apparently, CEV can overrule any decision its Board of Administration wants. Mr. Endres adds that Fenerbahçe Universal would participate in the most elitist (!) tournament of Europe if the team directly qualified for the Champions League. If mis-behavior of Fenerbahçe players and managers bothered CEV supervisors this much, should not have CEV stood strongly even if the team did not need a wild card? If CEV is so willing to punish the team Fenerbahçe, there should be no excuse!

We strongly suggest CEV to reconsider the rules of attributing wild cards to countries. If possible, either the number of wild cards should be kept at minimum or there should be no wild cards at all. Abundance of wild cards would indicate the unfairness of the decision process as there is no rules defined, but only subjective criteria. In the next year’s edition, the number of wild cards is almost as much as the number of directly qualified teams. Is this how CEV keep Champions League tournament as the most elitist tournament of Europe? Besides, CEV should definitely define the standards for the qualification for the Champions League. Other countries may not be experiencing the same trouble we are experiencing in Turkey. Unfortunately, we do not trust TVF executives, so we are absolutely in need of a good standard.

We are aware of your love for the President of TVF as Turkey is the only country with money that can also offer high-quality sports halls and hotels. No country in the economically damaged western Europe is willing to organize any volleyball events these days. At least not solely on their own (Serbia and Italy jointly organized 2011 Women’s European Championship, Austria and Czech Republic jointly organized 2011 Men’s European Championship ). This is why Turkey organized the last three editions of European League, 2010-11 Champions League Final Four, and European Olympic Qualification Tournament, and many others. We do not believe that CEV is concerned with sending a message. Rather we believe that CEV has been benefiting from those Turkey can offer at these troubled times of European countries. We are aware of how pragmatist CEV has been so far.

We hope that CEV Board of Administration understand our concerns and take important actions to improve European volleyball and help solving conflicts in domestic leagues. For the sake of our sport, please construct a more realistic ranking system, which ranks the teams, not the countries, and stop granting too many wild cards. Since the wild card attribution process does not involve any objective criteria, abundance of will cards could shadow CEV’s decisions in future. If your only concern is volleyball, then please do not punish the clubs that invest so much in it. You may not want to directly interfere with the teams, and we understand that. However, national federations may not be as innocent as they claim to be.

Best Regards,

…”

Guess they read the email because on May 22nd CEV has released a statement on their website regarding the exclusion of Fenerbahce’s women’s volleyball team.

Here’s the statement:

“After the starting field for the 2013 edition of the CEV Volleyball Champions League was recently finalized with an extension of the participating teams in both genders, the European Volleyball Confederation is hereby strongly stressing out that wild-cards to join Europe’s most elitist and prestigious club competition are assigned at its sole discretion, after a thorough analysis of the applications submitted by the various National Federations.

However, as far as the non-inclusion of last year’s winners of the women’s competition, Fenerbahce Universal ISTANBUL, is concerned, the CEV would like to stress that the rejection of their application is motivated by the mis-behavior of the above mentioned club during the past season and especially in combination with the final four held this past March 24-25 in Baku, Azerbaijan, and to the many problems players and officials of Fenerbahce caused to the CEV authorities on site there. While appreciating the sportive performance delivered by the team of Fenerbahce Universal ISTANBUL throughout the 2012 season, still the CEV felt such mis-behavior reflected a lack of respect towards Europe’s Volleyball governing body and its partners.

Additionally, the club was duly informed and pre-alerted that after going through the reports delivered after the final, the CEV may have decided to follow this up by issuing financial and sportive sanctions which reflect the CEV intention to guarantee the necessary fair play and protect the image of the sport. The CEV did not receive any statement or reaction from the club of Fenerbahce, or any commitment to stay loyal to the principles promoted by the CEV and generally associated to the sport.

The CEV is hence not going to review this decision fully trusting all fans that this difficult move will be fully understood as it is meant to send a strong signal for the good of our sport.”

Now you’ve read both sides of the story.

Are you convinced with the reasons stated by the European Federation?

Do you think this “controversy” will affect Fenerbahce’s relationship with CEV moving forward?

Again, it’s hard to watch this year’s edition without the Yellow Angels. They’ve been the only European club team who has consistently appeared in the Champions League Final 4 in the last 3 years. We just hope Fenerbahce decides to compete in the CEV Cup, a less prestigious club tournament in Europe, and also at the 2012 World Club Championship.

We’re not even sure who will play for Fen this coming season. Naz Aydemir and Sokolova have left the team. Coach Guimaraes didn’t renew his contract and will coach a team in Brazil instead. Logan Tom is unsure and she’s reportedly going to play in Brazil. Kim Yeon Koung is undecided. We wonder if Eda Erdem is staying or leaving.

Best of luck to all the Yellow Angels!

Anyways, enough with the drama.

Here’s a great news for you! The 2012/2013 Champions League will feature 24 teams.

Yayyyyyy!

Here you go:

Rabita BAKU (AZE)
RC CANNES (FRA)
ASPTT MULHOUSE (FRA)
SCHWERINER SC (GER)
Yamamay BUSTO ARSIZIO (ITA)
MC-Carnaghi VILLA CORTESE (ITA)
Atom Trefl SOPOT (POL)
Tauron MKS DABROWA GORNICZA (POL)
2004 Tomis CONSTANTA (ROU)
Dinamo KAZAN (RUS)
Dinamo MOSCOW (RUS)
Uralochka-NTMK SVERDLOVSK REGION (RUS)
Crvena Zvezda BEOGRAD (SRB)
Eczacibasi VitrA ISTANBUL (TUR)
Vakifbank ISTANBUL (TUR)

Wild-cards:

Azerrail BAKU (AZE)
Lokomotiv BAKU (AZE)
Agel PROSTEJOV (CZE)
DRESDNER SC (GER)
Robur Tiboni URBINO (ITA)
Bank BPS Fakro MUSZYNA (POL)
Dinamo Romprest BUCURESTI (ROU)
Volero ZÜRICH (SUI)
Galatasaray ISTANBUL (TUR)

Exciting!

But it would’ve been more exciting if Fenerbahce was included on this list. Just saying…

THOUGHTS?

THOUGHTS?

THOUGHTS?

(source: theyellowangels.wordpress.com & cev.lu/ images: cev.lu)

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