Pakistan lost 20-25, 21-25, 21-25 against Iran, 11-25, 22-25, 23-25 against Kazakhstan and 17-25, 15-25, 22-25 against India in the Asian Central Zone volleyball championship matches in Kolkata.
“The players could not sleep for more than 40 hours. First there was a visa delay and later we had to travel through bus from Islamabad to Delhi. We then took a flight to Kolkata the very same day,” coach Augusto Sabbatini told Dawn.
The Indian High Commission in Islamabad had earlier refused to give visa to the Pakistani squad.
“There is no logic to blame the players. All our planning was done on emergency basis,” insisted the Brazilian coach.
“Our players were far better than their Indian counterparts despite the home advantage.
“All my training went down the drain mainly because of consistent travelling and consecutive matches against the opponents.”
Sabbatini added he had informed the organisers that the players could not sleep during the last two days due to constant travelling but they did not pay any heed to it.
“I have given a comprehensive report to the officials of the Pakistan Volleyball Federation and hopefully the players will have sufficient time for proper rest when they travel next time,” he said.
A sports analyst added that the team needed more international tours to improve its international as well as Asian ranking, besides gaining experience to compete teams like Iran, South Korea, Japan and Australia.
He added “The financial assistance from the govt is very thin and it should invest in young players and hold more competitions.”
