The WFV Secretary General said that at first the FIVB considered the reason for the postponement of the tournament to be force majeure, which provides for compensation of $ 20 million, but due to financial losses, its position has changed and it can blame Russia for the postponement
Forward of the Russian national team Maxim Mikhailov
(Photo: Toru Hanai/Getty Images)
Secretary General of the All-Russian Volleyball Federation (VVF) Alexander Yaremenko said TASSthat the international federation (FIVB) has refused to pay compensation for the transfer of the 2022 men’s world championship to Poland and Slovenia and may try to put the blame for this on Russia.
FIVB March 1 endured from Russia, the tournament, which was to be held in ten cities in August-September. WFV President Stanislav Shevchenko declaredthat preparations for the tournament went on for almost three years. The WFV demanded that the FIVB compensate $80 million for the tournament taken away.
Yaremenko said that the initial position of the FIVB was that the World Cup was canceled “due to force majeure, force majeure.” “This item is taken into account in any contract, especially such an important one as for holding the World Cup. This clause states that if the championship is cancelled, half of the entry fee is returned to the applicant. Of the $40 million that Russia paid, $20 million should be returned,” said the Secretary General of the VFV.
According to him, the FIVB subsequently changed its position due to the additional costs of hosting the tournament in other countries. “As far as I understand, we faced great difficulties in order to hold it at all. In Russia, they could earn money, but here it is necessary to hold the World Cup in order not to lose the image. They changed their position, and now Russia can become the guilty party of this cancellation, and not force majeure. Like, we could file our counterclaim for 15 million, but we don’t, the championship is canceled, and that’s it, ”said Yaremenko.
Yaremenko said that, among other things, because of the position of the FIVB, “the first claim should be the maximum in terms of declaring our losses, which is why the amount is so impressive.”
For the first time, Russia was supposed to host the World Cup, which takes place every four years. Previously, the tournament was held in the USSR in 1952 and 1962.