It became clear that Fenerbahçe Medicana will certainly be without the services of Arina Fedorovtseva for their away match against PGE Budowlani Łódź in the Champions League. The Turkish club issued an official announcement confirming that the Russian star will not be part of the squad for the match.
The club's official position
Fenerbahçe explained that the reason is related to the restrictions that Poland applies to Russian citizens:
Due to Poland's restrictions on Russian citizens, Arina Fedorovtseva's Schengen visa application was submitted through another European country. However, the procedure was completed in an extremely short period before the match date and received a negative response.
The club adds that Fedorovtseva's current visa expired at the end of the calendar year, and due to the official holidays around Christmas and New Year, it was not possible to complete an alternative visa procedure through another country in a timely manner.
As a result, Arina Fedorovtseva will not be able to travel and will not take part in the match.
This development creates a serious problem for Fenerbahçe, led by Marcello Abbondanza – the new-old coach of the Bulgarian women's national team. The Italian specialist will have to look for urgent tactical solutions without his main scorer and one of the world stars of women's volleyball.
Fedorovtseva's absence inevitably affects the game balance, especially in a Champions League match, even though setter Alessia Orro and the other top-class players remain available.
The case once again raises the question of sports regularity in European club tournaments, as visa and administrative restrictions are starting to directly influence squads and the final sports product. It is not excluded that the topic may also be discussed at CEV level, as similar situations may recur in the future.
The Match
The match PGE Budowlani Łódź – Fenerbahçe Medicana will be played on January 6th at 18:00 local time. The Turkish powerhouse remains the favorite on paper, but will have to prove its class without Arina Fedorovtseva – a fact that undoubtedly changes preliminary expectations.
