Russian volleyball player Ana Lazareva (27) hoped that she would be in Zagreb today. Her club, Kuzejboru, is playing the second leg of the round of 16 of the CEV Cup tonight (Tuesday, 8 p.m.). The Turkish club won 3-1 in sets in the first game, and in Zagreb they will be weakened by Lazareva, who could not travel to Croatia.
Namely, it is not easy for Russian athletes to study in the countries of the European Union after the beginning of the invasion in Ukraine, and Lazareva felt that first hand. The Russian volleyball player announced on social networks that her visa application was rejected.
– Good morning, support my girls from Aksaray. It seems that it is not easy to get a visa from the Croatian embassy – Lazareva wrote on social networks with a crying emoticon.
Lazareva normally plays in the position of corrector, and last season she performed unhindered at games in the USA while she was a member of Atlanta Vibe. Previously, she played for clubs from China, France, South Korea and Turkey.
What actually happened?
As 24sata has learned, Lazareva is not the only Kuzejboru volleyball player who did not travel to Zagreb. The Turkish club cannot count on either Margaritu Kurilov (31), another Russian woman.
Namely, Lazareva and Kurilov sent their visa application too late. Kuzejbor is asked for help. turned to Dinamo, who, unofficially we know, tried to resolve the situation through the Croatian embassy in Ankara, but did not find a solution…
And as salt in the wound, the best player of the Turkish club, Thi Thanh Thuy Tran (27), terminated her contract with the club before this match.
It remains to be seen whether their absences will give Dinamo a tailwind against the Turkish club. The match starts at 20:00 in SD Peščenica.