Iran Makes History, Defeats Italy to Win FIVB U21 World Championship
Sports Blog, Kodoom.com Editorial:
For the first time ever, Iran's Under 21 (U21) volleyball team has defeated powerhouses such as Brazil and Italy to claim the 2019 FIVB world Championship title, thanks to an all-Iranian coaching staff including Behrooz Ataei and Masoud Armat.
In the finals match held at the Isa Sport City in Bahrain, Iran defeated Italy 3-2 (25–17, 17–25, 23–25, 25–22, 12–15) to claim the Championship title. Porya Yali and Captain Amirhossein Esfandiar played the leading role in Iran's historic victory, scoring 23 and 22 points, respectively.
In light of their victory, some members of the Iranian team may receive an exemption/waiver from the military service, mandatory for men ages 18 and over in Iran.
The sweet victory was somehow mixed up in controversy over the broadcast rights of the finals match, which was not shown inside Iran to the disappointment of millions of fans. Even Ministers of Communications and Sports criticized Iran's state-run TV for censoring the match. Iran's state-run TV, however, blamed the government of Bahrain (an ally of Saudi Arabia) and US-led sanctions.
Related to Volleyball:
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