Russia is a great country. Without a doubt. But sometimes there are characters who strive to spoil the image of our citizens in the eyes of foreigners. What can I say, even for themselves it becomes ashamed.

The final series of the women’s volleyball Superleague was supposed to have one, the brightest and most significant sign for world volleyball: the great Karpol at the age of 84 is again in the final. After 17 years. With his native “Uralochka-NTMK”. But Lokomotiv coach Andrei Voronkov overshadowed the legendary series with his offensive performance in the decisive fifth match.

So with his racist trick, Voronkov showed disrespect not only to a particular Cuban volleyball player, her club and fans. This is disrespect for the great Karpol, and for all Russian sports.

That is why there is no desire to understand and forgive Voronkov.

Karpol is the main character

Women’s volleyball in Russia is rarely interesting to the mass fan. The World and European Championships, the Olympics still attract the attention of the viewer, but the Russian Super League is an amateur. But this year the tournament created a cool intrigue, which earned the attention of a large audience.

The most resonant, the oldest, the most titled coach in the world and many other excellent forms can be applied to Nikolai Vasilyevich Karpol. He has been in charge of Uralochka since 1969, that is, almost from the date of its foundation (1966). On May 1, he turned 84. The last time his team won the Russian championship was 17 years ago, and now the elder of the coaching department has earned the right to become a 15-time national champion.

Nikolai Karpol / Photo: © RIA Novosti / Pavel Lisitsyn

Actually, for this, the final series with the Kaliningrad Lokomotiv was awarded increased attention. And, of course, fans with experience expected expression from Karpol and his favorite, as he himself calls it, “pedagogical manner of motivating his students.” The intensity of emotions for which we love and respect the master.

Another hero

And that final was really cool. Stubborn struggle to the last ball, the traditional emotional swing of the girls from tears to smiles, 2-2 after four matches and a decisive game in Kaliningrad.

While Karpol’s team was heroically getting out from under 0:2 in sets and gaining more and more confidence as the game progressed, the hosts’ coach Andrey Voronkov decided to excel.

During the tie-break, he called the legionnaire of rivals, Cuban Ailama Sese Montalvo, a “monkey”. He said it right out loud to the camera during a pause, which he himself took. That is, he knew perfectly well that it was his installation that would be filmed and broadcast live, and not Karpol’s fuse.

Ailama Montalvo / Photo: © RIA Novosti / Nikolai Karpol

I also knew because I took Valery Zaitseva aside. And, of course, it is impossible to imagine that he did it by accident.

Voronkov didn’t mean anything bad. Perhaps he did not learn the name of this girl very well, ”Lubov Sokolova, General Manager of the Russian women’s team, said in hot pursuit.

Well, of course. The coach just saw a person with a different skin color in front of him and decided to use the first thing that comes to his mind. If you don’t know the name of a person, call him a monkey. Ideal scheme.

Even Karpol and Trefilov did not allow themselves this

In our country there are two coaches, as they say, of the old school, who cultivated special methods of pedagogical education of their athletes – Trefilov in handball and Karpol in volleyball. But none of them did such a game that Voronkov performed.

– I’m tired of explaining that this is not a hysteria, not shocking, but a tactic tool, a pedagogical method. I always take into account the character of a person, his psychological characteristics. No one can reproach me for insulting someone during the game. I always told the girls that if you can surpass yourself, you can also surpass your opponent, ”Karpol admitted when journalists tormented him with questions about working methods.

Nikolai Karpol / Photo: © RIA Novosti / Nikolai Karpol

If someone thinks that Trefilov’s and Karpol’s shouts are no better than Voronkov’s remarks, then understand the simple difference.

First. When Karpol makes claims to the conditional Sveta in a raised tone that she is giving the pass in the wrong place or has placed the block incorrectly, this is a claim on the case, in the essence of the work of a person who has a contract with the club and the obligation to obey the coach.

Second. Each team has its own atmosphere and clear rules of the game. The athlete knows them, she can discuss with the coach the unsatisfactory moments. As a result, they have working communication in a form that suits both.

When Voronkov addresses his insult to a representative of the other team, there is not a single justification for this. He simply has no right to do so. This is not his subordinate, this is someone else’s club. And given the current context and close attention to Russia in the world sports community, which the Lokomotiv helmsman absolutely understands, his “monkey” looks like a spit on all the athletes and functionaries of our country. Now go and prove that we are tolerant and civilized here, and all the horrors about dense Russia are lies and slander.

We have just weaned the Western world from thinking that we are walking down the street with bears. Now again we have to make excuses for what we do not have. Thank you, Andrei Gennadievich.