By MARK REY MONTEJO
Akari head coach Taka Minowa couldn’t help but voice his frustrations after hurtful remarks and unpleasant messages were directed to her players following the team’s controversial
semis win over the PLDT High Speed Hitters in the PVL Reinforced Conference over the weekend.
Minowa was aghast with what he saw, heard and read during and after the match.
“I cannot understand what we were shown and what we were made to hear. My players were booed and continuously insulted during the match,” Minowa wrote on his Instagram story Thursday, Sept. 5.
”I felt this was an insult to volleyball itself.”
The catcalls started when the Chargers got a favorable decision over a net-touch challenge by the High Speed Hitters in the deciding fifth set with PLDT a point shy from the clinching the win.
The call eventually gave Akari a point, and that eventually turned things around, winning the set and the match 17-15.
Moments after the game, commissioner Sherwin Malonzo explained that it was legal, citing the 11.3.2 of FIVB’s rule book which says “Players may touch the post, ropes, or any other object outside the antennae, including the net itself, provided that it does not interfere with the play.”
But some fans still refused to buy Malonzo’s explanation and continued their jeering toward Akari players.
Minowa also questioned why the league did not take action about it.
“𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘦. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦,” he continued. “𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘥𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯.”
The husband of Filipina volley ace Jaja Santiago is hoping volleyball fans would change their behavior in the future for the sake of the sport.
“𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦? 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴? 𝘐 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘦, 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.”
Minowa said Akari’s loss in the finals was a great lesson for him and for the team, believing the Creamline Cool Smashers played more cohesively and aggressively than the Chargers.
