On August 5, 2025, the Federal Court of Appeal of the Italian Volleyball Federation (FIPAV) announced its decision on the appeal of coach R.S., sanctioned in July with a six-month suspension from all federal activities, volleyball.it reported.

The news was first published by the largest and most authoritative Italian volleyball websitevolleyball.it- a source later cited by a number of foreign, including Russian media, which claimed that it was about the Bulgarian coachRadostin Stoychev.

The case described in the FIPAV document closely resembles the incident from early January, when during Verona's away game in Civitanova for a match against Lube, a clash occurred that perfectly matches the details in the disciplinary report.

How it all started

According to the initial decision of the Federal Court from July 9, R.S. entered into a physical and verbal conflict with a spectator - the accusations included insults, a blow to the shoulder and chest, followed by a squeeze to the neck. The court accepted the presence of aggravating circumstances and imposed the maximum sanction of six months.

Arguments of the defense

R.S., assisted by lawyer Massimo Della Rosa, challenged the decision arguing that the aggravating circumstance was not applicable and that mitigating factors should be considered - admission of guilt, cooperation in clarifying the facts, and the presence of provocation.

The final decision

After the hearing on July 30, where the parties were heard, the Court of Appeal accepted the appeal on its merits, rejected the aggravating element, and reduced the sanction tofour months, effective July 9, 2025, taking into account the penalty already served.

In its reasoning, the court emphasized that although the coach's conduct remains reprehensible, the severity of the initial sanction was not proportionate to the established facts. It was also noted that R.S. demonstrated correct procedural conduct and expressed regret for what happened.

photo: volleyball.it