Peruvian volleyball: millionaire debts, a silver medal and a joy to get out of the crisis

The net seems to be too high for the Peruvian Volleyball Federation. Each achievement costs double in a federation that lives in a permanent crisis due to debt, which make this sport walk in quicksand. However, the Under 23 team has just won the silver medal in the Junior Pan American Games. This suggests that there is a horizon where to go.

“This team has gone to compete thanks to the support of third parties. It has been a great effort of the selected ones ”, José Geldres, administrator of the specialized portal Vóley 360. in which we live, tells us. “I spent it in seniors, we had no field. This is a very great reason for them to continue supporting us. Volleyball will always say present “, Flavia Montes, captain of the team that won the silver medal, responds briefly. “It had to be given in this way, to see with a medal the potential that we have”Says the attacker, who recalls the problems that the adult team had prior to the South American without being able to use the Videna High Performance Center and then the Sub 23 without training matches before competing in Colombia.

The millionaire crisis

The Volleyball Federation was on the verge of disaffiliation due to debts and today, the word bankruptcy is read among the specialized websites of the sport. A first debt of 180 thousand dollars with coach Luizomar de Moura to fulfill the contract they signed in 2017 – Diana Gonzales’ board – after the previous Pilar Gonzales board of directors unilaterally broke the link.

Another debt of 7 million soles with the architect César Díaz, for the remodeling of the Dibós Coliseum in 1989. In addition, Tony Franco, from the On the Net – Volleyball portal,. “It is one of the worst years in history in administrative matters”, the quoted journalist tells us. “The Federation has been on the verge of bankruptcy and it has been reflected in the results, at least in the majors, which for the first time was left off the South American podium. Peru’s problems mean that we cannot compete against Argentina and Colombia “he adds.

Gino Vegas encountered all of that upon entering office. “”, acknowledges the manager who had to negotiate with Luizomar to pay his debt from January. With this, it was avoided that the International Federation did not disenroll us from international activities.

This is the backpack that carries the directive. “I told Luizomar: I want to pay you, but I can’t pay you because I don’t have funds. Now we are looking at the formula to see the other debt that is bigger. We have not made contact yet because as long as we do not have something concrete to offer, there is no use talking. I hope that in January we can have a rapprochement ”, Gino adds.

This economic crisis did not allow the Under 23 team to go on a tour to Mexico prior to the Junior Pan American Games. Coach Francisco Hervás could not prepare the team in the best way, however, in Cali he was able to fight. “”, recognizes Francisco Hervás, coach of the senior and youth team.

The FPV receives a subsidy of 1.9 million soles per year from the IPD. Although it is the Federation that receives the most money, it will always be little for the demands that exist. In a previous interview, Gino Vegas told us that in a regular season -thought without a pandemic-, it is possible to generate income that increases the budget to 2.5 million, however, today that money is not enough for the debts they have.

In fact, given this economic problem that the Federation has,. “There are other types of jobs that can be done, but I understand that, due to financial problems, maintaining the technical command is an effort. I will return in the final part of the League, a remote monitoring will be carried out “, the coach tells us.

“I have to solve the issue of debts to focus on what really matters, which is the development of national teams”, concludes Gino Vegas. With the silver medal achieved in Cali, there is a letter of introduction for the State and companies that wish to bet on volleyball to rescue it and get it afloat.

“We have done our part, in some way to show with our work that the team can grow, that it is competitive and that it is worthwhile. With that business card you can develop a lot of projects for the future. ”, Paco Hervás clearly tells us. “”, Flavia Montes tells us.

The sporty side

The path of Peruvian volleyball is uphill, since in recent years Brazil is still at the top and Argentina with Colombia have been moving away, but there is always the idea of ​​a resurgence. They lived a bit with the generation of Ángela Leyva and the ‘matadorcitas’, you can think of new steps with this new team from the Montes -Flavia and Kiara-, Yadhira Anchante, Aixa Vigil, Paola Villegas, among others. “The girls have competed at a good level, they have given the image of a team with a great heart and that is the identity we want to achieve with this team”, Hervas tells us, who says that nine of those selected have already worked with the senior team to take those steps of growth.

Tony Franco reminds us that this team “He has been working since they are 12 years old. AND. The girls from 2000-2001, like Flavia, Kiara, Aixa were South American children’s champions in 2014 and 2015. The girls from 2022-2003, like Yadhira Anchante or María José Rojas, have already beat Brazil. They beat him in the 2018 Sudamericano de Minores ”, comments us.

One of the reasons why volleyball has not been maintained is because there were many moves in the technical commands. “In the last ten years we have had ten coaches. The changes have occurred due to various factors and one of them has caused the federation to have a crisis today “José Geldrés from Vóley 360 tells us. Indeed, since 2010 Kim Cheol, Luca Cristófani, ‘Chico’ Dos Santos, Jing Hong, Natalia Málaga, Mauro Marasciulo, Luizomar de Moura, Carlos Aparicio and now Francisco Hervás have passed.

For Gino Vegas, the project is forward-thinking. “We are betting to have results in 2028. I think a lot of change has hurt, the idea is to respect processes and reduce the gaps with the teams that are above us”says Gino Vegas.

Tony Franco gives him another look. “This crisis has allowed the emigration of players. Last year we had a record of 17 players abroad, now we are 22 and we are in the middle of the season “, comments us. “Ángela Leyva plays the Champions League for Béziers in France, Daniel Urueña is the first Peruvian man to play a European Cup with Schönenwerd from Switzerland, Eduardo Romay is undefeated abroad. As they have been forced to leave, it is working for them “, says the journalist from Sobre la Net.

The National Senior Women’s Volleyball League is also the challenge for the current administration. This Thursday the contest apparently begins at the Villa El Salvador Sports Center -the presentation is this Monday- and it will be the other product they have to try to generate income to solve administrative problems.

The closest challenge at the national team level is to think about the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games. Unfortunately, the outlook is very complicated. Brazil qualified by winning the Junior Pan American Games and Chile will say present for being the host. Then, there will be two quotas to be defined. “At the moment Argentina and Colombia are still ahead of us in the senior category, but we have a lot of confidence and we believe that we can continue to grow to reduce the gap”, says coach Hervás.

This is the current situation of the most beloved sport in the country. The Peruvian volleyball that gave us so much glory is experiencing a moment of crisis, but its players will always be there to continue scoring points that will bring us back our joy.