The situation around Oleh Plotnytskyi indeed begins to look increasingly unconvincing, especially if viewed purely logistically. We are talking about the most recognizable and strongest Ukrainian volleyball player at the moment, captain of the national team in recent years, and one of the stars of world volleyball. It's hard to believe that state institutions wouldn't find a way to expedite passport issuance in such a case if it were an absolute priority.
The statement by assistant coach Agustin Briscoli tosport.uaalso leaves more questions than answers. From his words, it becomes clear that the federation expects the document literally any day now, and thanks to the new rules of the Nations League, Plotnytskyi can be added to the squad even during the tournament itself. This means that even if he receives the passport at the last moment, he theoretically can play against Poland on June 14.
However, a significant contradiction arises here. Ukraine's official squad for the first week of the Nations League in Linyi, China, has already been published on the Volleyball World website, and Plotnytskyi's name does not appear among the 14 declared players. This raises the logical question of what exact mechanism the outside hitter could be included for the match against Poland if he indeed receives his passport in the coming days.
This is precisely where the logical hypothesis arises that a purely sporting decision might be hidden behind the "administrative problem." After a long club season with Perugia, Plotnytskyi accumulated a serious workload, and Ukraine has far more important goals this summer than the first few matches in the Nations League. If the staff has decided that the player needs additional rest and recovery, the passport explanation is far easier for the public to accept than an official decision to leave the star out of the squad for rest.
From a communication standpoint, such an approach would allow avoiding the dissatisfaction of fans and media. Instead of explaining why the team's leader is missing the start of the tournament, the entire situation is shifted to an external factor over which the federation supposedly has no control.
Of course, without official evidence, this remains a supposition. But the more time passes and the more representatives of the Ukrainian staff repeat that the passport is "almost ready," the more natural the doubts appear that the real reason might be related to managing the physical condition of one of the team's most valuable players.
If the document is issued in the coming days and Plotnytskyi suddenly appears for the match against Poland, this will further strengthen the impression that his absence at the start of the tournament was more of a controlled delay than an insurmountable administrative problem.

photo: Nikolay Varadinov