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In the not too distant past Azerbaijani women's volleyball fans, in the main, supported "AzerReyl". This club, which was reckoned to be the standard-bearer of the country's volleyball, had for many years represented Azerbaijan in the international arena. Years passed and the number of volleyball clubs in the country increased, as did the number of "AzerReyl's" rivals. Exactly four years ago "Rabita" won the Azerbaijani championship for the first time. In taking the championship gold medals time after time, the "operators" performed brilliantly in the international arena, too, winning the world club championship and then reaching the final again. Having reached the final of the Champions League twice in three years, "Rabita" became a "nightmare" for their rivals. Now the club has only one unrealized dream - winning the Champions League.

Having lost two years ago in the final of the Champions League to the Turkish club "Vakifbank", this year the Azerbaijani team met the same fate. After beating the Italian club "Yamamay" in the semi-final, the Azerbaijani volleyballers were again beaten in the final by the Turkish "bankers". And again the score was 3-0. But they only looked inferior to their opponents in the first set which they lost 17-25. In the two other sets, especially the third, the spectators saw a real battle (20-25 and 23-25).

"I am really gutted. We hoped to win the Champions League, but it didn't work out. There are no unbeatable teams in sport. Our volleyball girls were brilliant but they couldn't finish the job. We'll keep fighting. Our aim is to bring the Champions League Cup to Baku. We are up for it. I promise that 'Rabita' will win this cup soon," Calil Cafarov, the president of "Rabita", said after the defeat in the final.

The players shared his optimism. "Our team has achieved a lot in a short time. We have reached the final twice. 'Rabita' has had a lot of success. We shouldn't be too upset about this defeat. I believe that the Champions League Cup will soon be in Baku. We shall be fighting even harder in the new season," one of the players, Madellayne Montana, comforted their fans.

"Rabita's" chief coach, Marcello Abbondanza, paid tribute to their opponents. "To be honest with you, I was fascinated by the way they played. This is the result of years of work. It was a very interesting final. The Azerbaijani champions put up a worthy fight but their opponents were too strong," he said.

There are a number of reasons for the Azerbaijani champions' defeat. First of all, they have a shortage of attackers. Having failed to keep their international Natalya Mammadova, who agreed to a better offer from "Omichka", "Rabita" invited Angelina Grun to join them. But time showed that the experienced Polish girl was not the force she used to be. Her transfer did not justify the hopes they had. That was why in the final Madellayne Montana could not cause her opponents any real problems on her own. If she had had a player who could have worked alongside her, the result would have been quite different…Other players did not do themselves justice in the final, either. Appearing in the fourth zone, the "operators" performed in a manner that was not good enough for the Champions League final. They even made errors in receiving the serve, thereby burying our hopes of victory.

The biggest advantage the Turkish team had was probably the fact that they had a stable team and management whereas "Rabita" had changed its coaches four times in four years. First in charge was Dragutin Baltic, then Dejan Brdjovac, Zoya Gajic and, finally, Marcello Abbondanza. As far as the squad is concerned, the players brought into "Rabita" need time to settle down.

Bearing all this in mind, experts feel the contract with "Rabita's" Italian coach must be extended. Having impressed in a short period of time, Marcello Abbondanza is beginning to handle his job well. The club's leading foreign imports - Montana, Castillo and Akinradewo - must also continue their careers with the club. All that is needed is to create healthy competition in the team and find the right answer.

It has to be said that not many clubs in Europe are good enough to win the silver medals of the Champions League twice in three years. But that is what "Rabita" have achieved. It is a strong squad. The existing shortcomings, which with the current attention to sport in Azerbaijan can easily be eradicated, are preventing them from achieving more.

Another thing which demands attention is the fact that there is not a single Azerbaijani-born player in the "Rabita" squad. The standard of the Azerbaijani super-league is so high today and the lack of local sportswomen in the clubs does not augur well for the future. If the federation introduces a limit on foreign players from next season the clubs will have to field two local players in each match. Then we can make an objective assessment of the potential.