Bulgarian international Venislav Antov played another strong match in the French championship and led Tourcoing Lille Métropole to a fourth consecutive victory. His team won away against Paris Volley, led by former Bulgaria coach Silvano Prandi, with a score of 3:2 (22:25, 25:18, 25:21, 23:25, 15:12) in a match from the sixth round of Alterna Volstar.
The match in Paris's "Pierre Charpy" hall was played against the backdrop of an extremely severe financial crisis in one of the most decorated French clubs. Paris Volley continues to be threatened with bankruptcy, and the future of the team and its participation in the championship remain uncertain.
Antov was the most effective player on the court with 27 points, including 21 from attack, 4 aces, and 2 blocks. The Bulgarian opposite finished with 57% success rate in attack and once again had a major contribution to Tourcoing's success.
The hosts started better and won the first set with 25:22. Tourcoing, however, quickly found an answer, equalized after 25:18 in the second set, and turned the tide of the match after 25:21 in the third. Paris Volley did not give up and with 25:23 sent the match into a tie-break. In the decisive fifth set, the visitors demonstrated greater effectiveness in the final rallies and reached victory with 15:12.
The success is Tourcoing's fifth since the start of the season and fourth in a row. The team has 14 points and occupies fourth place in the provisional standings. Paris Volley, which started the championship with two victories, is now on a streak of four consecutive defeats and is eighth with 7 points.
For 79-year-old Silvano Prandi, who celebrated his birthday on November 13, sports results currently seem a far smaller problem than the future of the club.
According to information from the French sports daily L'Équipe on November 12, Paris Volley's debts are estimated at nearly one million euros, and its rescue plan, which only two weeks earlier had seemed promising, is now seriously doubted.
The negotiations involve the owner of the Italian Vero Volley Monza, Aldo Fumagalli, and the president of the French women's club Marianne 92, Philippe Peters. According to the French publication, however, the understanding between the two has faltered, and it is not excluded that Fumagalli may withdraw from the project. As of November 12, the talks were still ongoing, but without guarantees of a positive outcome.
In fact, the Parisians already once avoided the worst. On October 16, the club announced that it had secured temporary funding, which allowed it to start the season. However, the expected transfer of ownership was not finalized within the previously stated deadline of October 30.
Before the match with Tourcoing, Silvano Prandi did not hide his concern. After the 0:3 loss to Montpellier in the French Supercup, he told L'Équipe that he hoped the team would play the match on Saturday and continue its participation in the championship.
This has already happened. But the answer to the second question is still missing.
Libero Jérémy Mouiel admitted to the French publication that the volleyball players do not have information about the progress of the negotiations. Tokyo Olympic champion Daryl Bultor also described the situation as extremely uncertain, emphasizing that the team lives match by match.
Paris Volley was founded in 1998 after the merger of Paris Université Club and the volleyball section of Paris Saint-Germain. In its history, it has nine French championship titles and a triumph in the Champions League in 2001.
Paris Volley's next scheduled match is an away game against Nice on November 20. So far, there is no official confirmation of the club's cessation of operations, but no final decision on its financial salvation has been announced either.
Thus, Venislav Antov's victory posed another question for Paris Volley: will the dramatic five-set clash with Tourcoing not be the last match in the history of one of the most successful French volleyball clubs?