Local volleyball clubs may soon face a period of difficulty if the provisional sanctions imposed on Rwanda by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) remain. The sanctions were slapped on the local volleyball federation last year, penalizing the country for fielding ineligible players during the 2021 African Women’s Volleyball Championship that took place in Kigali in September. If nothing changes, the local federation will not host or organise any competition until September 2023, since the sanctions prohibit it from such, among other penalties. With this, people familiar with the game fear that clubs may find themselves in a difficult situation where they may even stop paying their staff. Clubs pay players every month. Now, if there is no competition, it becomes difficult to pay the players yet the clubs are not working. The clubs may face a hard time in getting partners and sponsors, and this may really affect their finances,” said Geoffrey Zawadi, president of the REG volleyball club. Vincent Gasongo Dusabimana, a player featuring for REG Volleyball Club, reflected on the opportunities that players will miss if there is no sporting action in the country. “There are various challenges that are faced by players if there are no competitions organised in the country. For example, if there is no league, there is no possibility of qualifying to play in continental competitions, yet they are very important in giving us exposure,” he said. He also talked about the financial challenges that may come with the sanctions. “Players are afraid that if these sanctions remain, a financial crisis for clubs and players is inevitable. Some teams may end up terminating players’ contracts because there are no competitions,” he said. He called upon private entities to stand up and support the game at this time of need by organizing regular competitions where clubs can feature. Elia Mutabazi, the Head Coach of APR Volleyball Club, advised that if the sanctions stay on, the federation should still use the time for productive activities, for example stepping up the efforts for grooming youngsters that will feature for the country in the near future. I think that there is a need to use this time to prepare young players, so that by the end of the two-year term of sanctions, at least we have players who can be used in the national teams, he said. He urged that the country should stop looking for quick results, but should prepare for success in the long run. “For example APR volleyball has been preparing children for three years and it paid off because they immediately won the league title. The Ministry of Sports should spend more resources on preparing youngsters than on participating in competitions, he said.
