Iran volleyball team lack competitive atmosphere

Reza Safaei, who now plays for Paykan in the Iranian league, says those who play in the league have had no incentive to represent their country in the national team in current years as an almost fixed group of players were always there in the camp of the national team.

Speaking to Mehr News Agency, Safaei pointed to the time when Julio Velasco coached the team around 2011 to 2014 and said “The memory that has always stuck in my mind and give me incentive was how Velasco treated the players.”

“It was in 2011 and I was in the camp of Iran’s U21 team but Velasco invited me to the senior team’s camp. I suffered from a hand injury and had to perform surgery. After the surgery, I clearly remember that when I went to the camp to watch the training, Velasco sat and talked with me. His words were so encouraging that I wanted to start training on the very moment with a hand that had not yet recovered from surgery.”

Reza Safaei preparing to serve for Paykan