Just a few weeks after the sharp exchange of words with Zoran Terzic on the topic of naturalized volleyball players, the President of the Turkish Volleyball Federation, Mehmet Akif Ustundag, detailed how Melissa Vargas was extremely close to joining the Serbian national team before Turkey intervened in the battle for her.
The topic came to the forefront during EuroVolley 2026. After the semi-final between Turkey and Serbia, Ustundag reacted sharply to Terzic's statements about naturalized players and used Vargas as a counter-argument. He then asked why Serbia had issued a passport to the Cuban-born volleyball player and made efforts to attract her if the Serbian coach was against such a practice.
Now, during his guest appearance on Adem Metan's YouTube channel, Ustundag revisited the story and shared many more details about what happened behind the scenes. There is no reason to claim that the interview was given specifically because of the dispute with Terzic, but chronologically, his detailed account comes just a few weeks after it.
According to the president of the Turkish federation, the situation with Serbia had gone much further than mere interest – Vargas already had Serbian citizenship and a passport.
"One night I received a phone call. They told me: 'Serbia issued her a passport. Serbia gave her citizenship and now wants to get the right to change federations. Vargas is already a Serbian citizen and will become a Serbian volleyball player, she will choose Serbia and its national team,'" Ustundag recounts.
The claim that Vargas already possessed a Serbian passport comes from the president of the Turkish federation. Serbia's interest in her has been discussed for years, and information also appeared in Turkish media some time ago that Terzic wanted the Cuban player for the Serbian national team. However, there is no public confirmation from Serbian state institutions regarding the issuance of Serbian citizenship.
After learning about the development of the situation, Ustundag decided to act immediately. According to him, he contacted the people around Bojan, Vargas's manager, and insisted that he arrive in Turkey on the first morning flight.
"When he arrived, we shook hands and I told him: 'Whatever it takes, I want Vargas. I will not accept her going anywhere else.'"
A four-hour conversation with the volleyball player herself followed. Ustundag emphasizes that regardless of the Turkish side's efforts, the final decision was Vargas's.
"After four hours, we managed to convince her. Vargas said: 'I also want Turkey.' We must be honest – if she didn't want it, there was nothing we could do."
From that moment, the race against time to arrange her Turkish citizenship began. Ustundag recounts that he sought the assistance of the then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mevlut Cavusoglu, and the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was also aware of the case. Subsequently, the then Minister of Interior, Suleyman Soylu, was also included in the procedure.
"Can you imagine? Everything was completed in 24 hours. The procedure for Vargas to obtain Turkish citizenship was completed in 24 hours," Ustundag claims.
Unlike the claim about the Serbian passport, the acquisition of Turkish citizenship is officially documented. In 2021, the Turkish Volleyball Federation announced that the procedure was completed, and Erdogan personally handed Vargas her Turkish ID card. Even then, Ustundag stated that the federation had been working on her naturalization for a long time and thanked the Turkish president for his assistance.
A particularly curious part of the current account is again related to Zoran Terzic. At that time, Vargas played for Fenerbahçe, whose coach was precisely the Serbian specialist, who also simultaneously led the Serbian national team.
According to Ustundag, the initial steps for Turkish citizenship were kept secret even from the Fenerbahçe management. After the information became public, the club's president, Ali Koç, called him and asked why he had not been informed.
Ustundag's explanation is colorful:
"Who is your coach? Zoran Terzic. Where is he from? From Serbia. Which national team does he lead? Serbia. Do you leave a lamb to the wolf? How could I tell him? If I had informed the club, he would have also found out, and our whole plan would have failed."
According to Ustundag, Ali Koç initially reacted sharply, but about ten minutes later, he called him again, apologized, and congratulated him on the work done.
In this part of the story, there is also a detail that deserves clarification. In its official statement from 2021, the Turkish Volleyball Federation also thanked Ali Koç for his support during Vargas's naturalization process. This does not exclude Ustundag's account that the initial actions were kept secret from Fenerbahçe, but it shows that at a certain stage, the club's president was already involved in the procedure.
After obtaining citizenship, Vargas could play for Fenerbahçe with the status of a local player, but she had to wait the necessary period before being eligible to represent Turkey at an international level.
Subsequently, Vargas became one of the great figures of the Turkish national team. However, Üstündağ's new account shows how differently her international future could have unfolded.
And here remains the important distinction – that Serbia had already issued a passport to Vargas and had taken steps to change her sports federation, is a claim by Mehmet Akif Üstündağ. Vargas's acquisition of Turkish citizenship and the role of the Turkish Volleyball Federation in this process are officially documented.

photo:volleyballworld.com