Iran did not compete against the Czech Republic with Hackford’s refereeing.

The national volleyball team of Iran experienced a loss in their fourth Olympic qualifier match against the Czech Republic. This outcome was attributed to a disputed call by the first referee, which sparked controversy among those present.

On Wednesday, October 4th, at precisely 4:30 PM, Iran’s national volleyball team participated in their fourth competition match. They were assigned to the first group alongside Brazil (host), Italy, Cuba, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Germany, and Qatar, and their opponent for this game was the Czech Republic.

The team led by Behrouz Ataei incurred their third defeat in this competition, with scores of 25-17, 25-22, 21-25, and 25-20.

During the recent Olympic qualifiers, the national volleyball team of Iran faced off against the Czech Republic in a highly anticipated match. The team was comprised of a talented roster, including skilled players such as Mohammad Taher Vadi, Shahrouz Homayounfarmanesh, Mohammad Valizadeh, Saber Kazemi, Amir Hossein Esfandiar, Seyed Mohammad Mousavi, and Arman Salehi, with one player serving as the dedicated libero. The event was a showcase of impressive athleticism and sportsmanship from both teams.

In the match’s opening set between the Czech Republic and Iran, the former took an early lead and maintained their dominance until the score reached 14-10. At this point, Iranian coach Behrouz Ataei called for a timeout. Despite the introduction of Javad Karimi and Amin Esmailnezhad to the Iranian team at 17-11, they lost another point, prompting Ataei to call for another break. The set ultimately concluded with a score of 25-17 in favor of the Czech Republic. The Czech team demonstrated solid defensive skills and effective service during the group, while the Iranian players made some individual errors.

During the second set, Mobin Nasri was a member of the Iranian team that remained tied with their opponent until the fifth point. However, the Czech Republic team scored six consecutive points, prompting Ataei to call for a break. At 19 points, both teams were tied, intensifying the match further. Mohammadreza Hazratpour played during this set, but unfortunately, Iran was defeated with a score of 25-22, allowing the Czech Republic to obtain one point from the match.

During the third set of the volleyball match, the Iranian team scored the initial point, scoring seven to seven. The captain of the Iranian national volleyball team, Seyed Mohammad Mousavi, respectfully communicated with Hackford, the first referee of the match, to contest the call. At the 13th point, the Czech Republic’s head coach called for a timeout in response to the teams being tied again. Ultimately, the Iranian national volleyball team emerged victorious with a score of 25-21, resulting in a set count of 2-1.

In a close match, Iran’s national team lost 25-20 to the Czech Republic, marking their third loss in the competition. Refereeing mistakes on critical points was detrimental to Iran.

The inaugural referee for the match between Iran and the Czech Republic was Nicholas Hackford, hailing from England. Concomitantly, David Fernandez Fontes was selected as the second referee responsible for overseeing the match.

What an incredible feat for the Iranian national volleyball team! They secured their first-ever victory against the Czech Republic in their second match-up. Congratulations on this fantastic achievement!

At 20:00 on Friday, October 14, Iran’s national volleyball team will face Italy in its fifth match, which is currently the leader of the first Olympic qualifying group.