ITA M: Entire Modena squad goes against Stoytchev, Ngapeth and Bruno criticize him the most

Modena players

Only a day before Azimut Modena decided to suddenly part ways with the coach Stoytchev, several players of the club who did not win a single trophy this season despite aiming to win all tournaments in which they contested, were guests in a live television program. Some of them took the opportunity to express their point of view of collaborating with the Bulgarian expert, and it was not positive.

The Frenchman Earvin Ngapeth, who had the most disagreements with Stoytchev during the season, admitted he would not leave Modena for Zenit Kazan if Stoytchev was not a coach.

“Catia (president Catia Pedrini) wanted to get the three of us (Ngapeth, Bruno, and Stoytchev) together. I also understood the project of Catia, and I knew that Stoytchev would arrive, but I told her that the most important thing was to get Bruno back. But, I told the president that taking Stoytchev was a risk. We are spontaneous, both in a social life and in the field. He’s a coach who’s too different from us. I tried, but as soon as I got back, I quickly realized that I wouldn’t get along with him, for various reasons. I knew it and I did everything to make it clear to Catia,” Ngapeth said in the live transmission of TRC.

“There was a signal of this already on Christmas. He has his ways of doing things and he has words that can hurt you… Maybe he doesn’t notice. He had a disrespectful conversation with my brother that hurt me while I was on therapy. I thought about it all night and, the next day, I went to him to tell him that I didn’t want to deal with him anymore, that I couldn’t stand him anymore and that I didn’t want to play with him as a coach in Modena anymore. After a few days, before the match against Padova, I came back to tell Catia that I wanted to go back to the gym and I apologized. She gave me the permission to go back to the gym the next day, but Stoytchev refused to let me train, saying that I didn’t want to play. It was a lie,” he added.

“In 13 years of a high-level volleyball, Weber, Bagnoli, Lorenzetti, my father Bernardo, each had his philosophy and mentality and I can’t judge. But, it can’t be imposed by force. He had the desire to impose his gaming system on players who have played their whole life a different kind of game. Then, the human part… we don’t need to be friends but you need to have trust, loyalty and believe the person next to you. I went more than once to talk to him in his office at the end of February, but there were already rumors that he was looking for Christenson. There, I understood it was done. I can’t be together with a person who has very different values from mine. I went to Catia and told her I wouldn’t say ‘it’s me or him’… but I will pack my things and go.” The Brazilian setter Bruno Rezende “Bruninho” stated and added he still did not decide if he will stay in Modena for the next season.

Several more players questioned the work of Stoytchev in the same TV show like American Maxwell Holt and libero Salvatore Rossini.

SUBSCRIBE to have full access to WoV PROFILES, STATS, and WoVVIDEO.

Discover what’s new in the volleyball world.