Redazione Volleyball.it
TURKEY – ZEREN SPOR: FINANCIAL ALARM BELLS
ISTANBUL – The Zeren Spor case dominated the latest episode of “Kurşun Pas” on the Maç Koruyu YouTube channel, focused on the Sultanlar Ligi.
Former Turkey international Gülden Kayalar, an analyst on the show, said the club is facing serious financial difficulties: according to her, only two salaries have been paid to the players so far. A situation that is reportedly creating tension inside the locker room and fuelling transfer rumours.
“Zeren Spor risks losing both Uzelac and Lazareva for economic reasons,” Kayalar explained. “Lazareva would already have a basic agreement with Türk Hava Yolları, while Uzelac will wear the Eczacıbaşı jersey next season, as reported by Voleybolun Sesi. They are two key players, but with only two months of salaries paid it’s natural they start looking around.”
Kayalar added that the club invested heavily last season to build a competitive roster, but current liquidity issues could now undermine the entire project: “Zeren was an ambitious project, but the current situation risks emptying the squad and compromising everything that has been built.”
The Zeren paradox: Champions League sponsor, cash-flow crisis?
What makes the story even more striking is the contrast between the team’s alleged financial struggle and the image of strength projected by the Zeren Group brand. Only a few weeks ago, the group signed a naming partnership with the CEV for the 2026 women’s Champions League, branded as CEV Zeren Group Champions League Volley 2026 Women.
The agreement was described as “historic” by CEV president Roko Sikirić and welcomed publicly by Zeren Group executive Seda Zeren Adıgüzel, who stated: “We are proud to support women’s volleyball and to inspire a new generation of athletes. This partnership represents a key milestone for our group and for the future of Turkish volleyball.”
Yet, according to what is circulating from multiple international sources, Zeren Group would have asked to review—or even to end—the agreement with the CEV despite being the title sponsor of the Champions League.
A short circuit that raises obvious questions: how can the brand naming the women’s Champions League simultaneously be linked to financial trouble around its flagship club? If the rumours are confirmed, the consequences could extend beyond the Sultanlar Ligi and impact the image of women’s European volleyball itself.
EUROPEAN CUPS
Champions League: Civitanova, a 3–0 quarter-final ticket in the bag
Pool E – 1st matchday of the return round
CUCINE LUBE CIVITANOVA – VOLLEY HAASRODE LEUVEN (BEL) 3–0 (25–10, 25–19, 25–19)
CIVITANOVA – Cucine Lube Civitanova handled the Belgian side Volley Haasrode Leuven with a clear 3–0 win in just 62 minutes at the Eurosuole Forum, in front of 2,113 spectators. A one-way match by both flow and numbers, confirming Civitanova’s perfect run in the Champions League group phase.
Individually, Aleksandar Nikolov led the way as top scorer with 14 points and 9 break points. The Bulgarian outside hitter delivered an efficient performance: 13 kills on 18 swings, with no errors and no blocks against, for 72% positive attacking. Duflos Rossi followed with 12 points, including two aces and an 82% attacking rate (9/11, again with zero errors and zero blocks suffered). Civitanova also got a key contribution from Giovanni Maria Gargiulo (9 points), particularly at the net.
For Leuven, only Peeters and Ollala Gomez reached double figures (10 each), but on limited attacking efficiency (38%), reflecting the visitors’ overall difficulty.
Team stats underline Civitanova’s control: 64% attack vs 40%, 58% positive reception vs 34%, and 11 winning blocks vs 1. From the line, Lube finished with 4 aces and 12 errors, Leuven with 2 aces and 13 errors. Blocking was the decisive separator, led by Gargiulo (4), then Tenorio (3), plus single blocks from Loeppky, Orduna and Nikolov.
With this win, Civitanova stay first in the pool with four wins and no losses. Montpellier HSC VB remain behind, still due to play their fourth match against PGE Projekt Warszawa. Civitanova will hold the top spot at least until the next round, when the group will feature the direct clash with Montpellier on February 10, potentially decisive for first place.
Challenge Cup: Milano through to the quarter-finals
Round of 16 – 2nd leg
ALLIANZ MILANO – CRVENA ZVEZDA BEOGRAD (SRB) 3–0 (25–16, 25–14, 25–18)
MILAN – Allianz Milano completed the job and booked their place in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals with a 3–0 win over Crvena Zvezda Belgrade at the Allianz Cloud. The match stayed close only early in the opening set, then turned into a Milano-controlled performance. Once qualification was secured across the first two sets, Roberto Piazza managed the rotations and gave minutes to younger players without losing pace.
Belgrade changed one piece from the first leg and started with Petrovic setting, Krstić opposite, Omar Ahmed and Ilic on the pins, Rudic and Bosnjak in the middle, Vukasin libero. Milano replied with their usual six: Kreling–Reggers, Ichino–Recine, Caneschi–Di Martino, Catania libero.
Milano broke away in set one after the initial 3–3 (Rudic ace), building separation with blocks from Recine and Di Martino, then closing with Reggers and a Recine ace. In set two, Piazza kept the starting six to lock in the result: Milano pulled clear quickly, with Caneschi influential in the break phase, and the 25–14 score also sealed qualification. Set three saw more changes, but the pattern remained: Milano controlled serve-and-block pressure, and despite a late Serbian push with four match points saved, they closed 25–18 on Masulovic’s quick attack.
Attention now shifts to the quarter-final draw: confirmation is expected on Thursday, with Norwid Czestochowa favoured after a 3–0 first-leg win in Valencia.
Champions League: Egonu carries Milano past Olympiacos
Pool C – Matchday 5
Olympiacos PIRAEUS – Numia Vero Volley MILANO 1–3 (27–25, 17–25, 17–25, 14–25)
ATHENS (Greece) – Numia Vero Volley Milano won 3–1 away at Olympiacos Piraeus and moved to three wins and one loss, 10 points in Pool C. The group remains wide open: Milano now sit one point ahead of Eczacibasi Istanbul, but first place—and the direct quarter-final berth—will be decided only at the last round, with the head-to-head clash on February 4.
After a complicated start and a 27–25 loss in set one (despite saving two set points), Milano progressively took control. The next three sets (17–25, 17–25, 14–25) were one-way, with Milano repeatedly stretching to 14–21 and cutting off the hosts’ resistance. The match lasted 99 minutes and was played in front of 815 spectators.
Paola Egonu was the standout: MVP with 32 points and 8 break points, delivering 65% attacking efficiency (32 kills on 49 attempts), zero blocks against and only three errors. Behind her, Anna Danesi and Khalia Lanier finished on 14 each, with Danesi dominant at the net (8 winning blocks). Milano also got two aces from Kurtagic.
For Olympiacos, Kubura was the only player inside the top scoring positions (13), while Pietrini scored 11 for Milano. In reception, the best perfect-rate belonged to Abderrahim (40%), just ahead of Milano’s libero Fersino (39%).
Team numbers clarify the swing after the first set: 14–5 in blocks for Milano, 47%–33% in attack. Reception slightly favoured Olympiacos (57% vs 48%), while serving was similar (Milano 10 errors, hosts 9; aces 3–2 for Milano). Everything now points to February 4, when Milano face Eczacibasi in the decisive pool finale.
Champions League: Conegliano sweep Zeren, quarter-finals secured early
Pool D
ANKARA Zeren Spor Kulubu – A. Carraro Prosecco DOC CONEGLIANO 0–3 (21–25, 18–25, 21–25)
ANKARA – A. Carraro Prosecco DOC Conegliano swept Ankara Zeren Spor Kulübü 3–0 away and clinched a place in the Champions League quarter-finals with one round to spare, becoming the first team to secure qualification for the knockout phase. It was the direct clash for first place in Pool D, and with this win Conegliano are now mathematically unreachable for Zeren.
Played at the Ziraatbank Volleyball Hall in front of 4,708 spectators, the match lasted 79 minutes. After a brief early phase where Conegliano showed some leftover fatigue from the Coppa Italia weekend, Daniele Santarelli’s side gradually took full control and closed the match without conceding a set.
Conegliano started with Gabi and Zhu as outside hitters, Lubian and Fahr in the middle, De Gennaro libero; Chirichella rested. Isabelle Haak was MVP and top scorer with 26 points, including 12 break points, and produced across every phase: 3 aces and 5 blocks.
Behind her, Zeren’s Lazareva scored 18 and Uzelac 15, while Gabi finished with 9 and Lubian 8. Blocking was the key factor: 11 winning blocks for Conegliano vs 3 for the hosts. Conegliano also recorded 7 aces, compared to one for Zeren led by Italian setter Ofelia Malinov.
Attack percentages were close (48% Conegliano, 46% Zeren), but efficiency favoured the Italian side: Zeren closed with 19 negative balls (11 blocked, 8 errors) versus Conegliano’s 7 (3 blocked, 4 errors). Zeren were better in reception (54% positive, 52% perfect), highlighted by Gatina’s 53% perfect rate, but Conegliano were sharper in transition (50% vs 40%) and in the key phases of play.
DEL MONTE COPPA ITALIA SUPERLEGA: COUNTDOWN TO THE FINAL FOUR
BOLOGNA – Less than two weeks remain until the Del Monte Coppa Italia Final Four, scheduled for Saturday February 7 and Sunday February 8, 2026 at the Unipol Arena in Bologna.
The official build-up starts at 11:00 AM on Monday, February 2, with the event presentation press conference at the Emilia-Romagna Region headquarters in Bologna. Local authorities and organizers will outline the program and present key updates, with focus on the four semifinalists: Itas Trentino, Rana Verona, Sir Susa Scai Perugia and Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza.
TRANSFER WATCH – VERONA: DARLAN TOWARDS HALKBANK?
VERONA – After initial rumours reported in Turkey and echoed in Italy by Gazzetta dello Sport and Volleyball.it, the topic is now also being discussed locally in Verona via an article by Marzio Perbellini (L’Arena): Brazilian opposite hitter Darlan would have activated an exit option included in the two-year contract signed with the club.
Beyond contractual details, the decisive element is the player’s choice. To convince a 23-year-old to leave after just one season in SuperLega, Halkbank may have placed a significant offer on the table—consistent with the spending power of a club that moves at the top end of the international market and is seeking to renew its roster.
Within the narrative around the Turkish move, a familiar name returns: Radostin Stoytchev, who coached Verona until a year ago and is now described, in these reconstructions, as one of the main supporters of the operation—aligned with the technical plans he had for the 2025/26 squad before his dismissal.
BLOG "COMUNICHESCION" – LUCA MUZZIOLI’S NOTES: COPPA ITALIA FRECCIAROSSA, A “PASSED TEST”
TURIN – The Coppa Italia Frecciarossa Final Four at Inalpi Arena closed with a number that summarizes the weekend: over 25,000 spectators across two days, including a record 12,853 crowd for a women’s club match. A bet that paid off. Lega Pallavolo Femminile, with local support from FIPAV Piemonte, delivered not only organizationally but also in terms of product awareness and modern communication choices—one small but symbolic sign: media accreditations featuring the word “influencer”.
Conegliano returned to winning ways, ending what felt like an unusual dry spell for a club with a trophy-heavy recent history. The only real negative point raised: the calendar, with little time to celebrate before immediate Champions League travel.
Scandicci continued a season of “firsts” despite losing the final, while Chieri once again showed resilience and competitive value beyond budget size. The most critical assessment was reserved for Novara, for a clear loss and for a late reaction judged out of line with the club’s usual style.
The closing image was a simple one: a father and son returning by train, the boy typing out names from San Giovanni in Marignano’s roster on his phone—an example of what these events can leave behind, beyond headlines and numbers.
