THREE TICKETS TO EUROPE

The Azerbaijani women's volleyball championship has ended, as expected, without any surprises, with Rabita" once again taking the title.

Meanwhile, quite different things have been going on since the end of the season at the clubs themselves. Whereas there are usually changes in the teams at the end of the season, this year the changes have been in the coaches. The first team to change its coach was "Lokomotiv". The Italian Giovanni Cucarini was replaced as head of the team by the Argentinian Claudio Cuello. "Lokomotiv's" new coach will go down in the history of the Azerbaijani Super League as the first Argentine coach. Incidentally, Cuello's contract was also notable for its length - it is for two years, whereas usually Azerbaijani clubs give their coaches just a one-year contract. As far as Cuello's career is concerned, he is quite well known both at home and abroad. In 2007-09 he coached the Austrian national team, and in 2010-12 led the Italian team Peruca. Cuello began last season in Serie A with Modena. However, when the club closed because of financial problems, during the season the Argentine coach was invited to join Pomi Kasalmaggiore. His team is currently in a play-off in Serie A2.

As soon as the Super League finished there was a change in chief coach at "Azerrail" where Giovanni Caprara has taken over from Aleksandr Chervyakov. But this is not the only new thing to happen at the club. From next season "Azerrail" will take to the court under the name "Azeriyol". The youth team will continue to play under the old name. As far as the experience of "Azeriyol's" new coach is concerned, Giovanni Caprara began his career in 1998 as second coach with the Italian club Foppapedretti, and with this club he won the Champions Cup, the Italian championship and the country's cup. Later, when he was in charge at Bergamo, Caprara won the Champions League, the European Volleyball Union (UEV) Cup, and were twice winners of the Italian Series A and the Italian Cup. In 2002 he also took Sassuolo into the elite group of Serie A2. In 2005-08 Caprara took charge of the Russian women's volleyball team, with whom he became world champion, won a silver Grand Prix medal and twice won a bronze medal at the European Championship.

There has also been a change of coach at the Azerbaijani champions "Rabita". After his contract with the Azerbaijani club ran out Marcello Abbodanza left for Turkey where he will start next season with "Fenerbahce". The "Rabita" management was unable to persuade Abbodanza to stay on and so there are fears that the team may lose its former standing. They are currently looking for a new chief coach and experts are naming the current coach of the Brazilian national team as the most likely candidate for the job.

The "Igtisadci" club of the State Economics University is changing its chief coach for the second time this season. The management has terminated its contract with Chiattipong Radchatagriagkra because of the team's poor showing. Whereas at the time of the appointment of the Thai coach the "economists" were top of the league, they eventually failed to finish in the top three. The Thai coach has now been replaced by the Turk, Bulent Karslioglu. For the last five rounds of the Super League "Igtisadci" were led by Farid Calilov who was assistant to both the Turkish and Thai coaches. This means that the club is still looking for a chief coach.

That said, it is gratifying to know that next season Azerbaijan will be represented in the Champions League of the European Cup by three clubs. Thanks to the country's high standing in the European ratings, Azerbaijan will be represented by three teams - the top two in the country's championship, "Rabita" and "Azerrail" - and also "Igtisadci", who were given a wild card of the European Volleyball Union. In the last Champions League Azer-baijan was represented by three teams.