Cuban federation reveals its national team players competing abroad next season

The Cuban Volleyball Federation (FCV) revealed how many members of the country’s national teams will compete abroad in 2019/20 season.
Until a few years ago, it was unimaginable that Cuban volleyball players – not only volleyball players – leave the country without suffering consequences by their federation. However, Cuban federation publicly reveals how many of its players have left the country.

In July, the President of the FCV, Ariel Sainz, stated that 13 players (counting both male and female) of country’s national teams in various age categories have guaranteed contracts outside Cuba for the next season, stressing that there will be a Cuban player in the French League for the first time (Marlon Yang in Chaumont). Moreover, for the first time, players who are members of the U21 National Team are allowed to go abroad, too.
Prospects Julio César Cárdenas and José Carlos Romero, as well as Javier Concepción, are the latest signings. They will play for Obras de San Juan, Argentina, closing the list of Cuban players who joined foreign leagues as national team members in the 2019/20 at 15, of which 10 in the men’s competition (eight in Argentina, one in Italy and one in France), and five in the women’s competition (two in Russia and three in Peru).

Men:
• Julio César Cárdenas, José Carlos Romero and Javier Concepción (Obras de San Juan, Argentina)
• Roamy Alonso (Consar Ravenna, Italy)
• Osniel Melgarejo, Jesús Herrera and Yohan León (Bolívar Vóley, Argentina)
• Miguel Angel López (UPCN San Juan Voley Club, Argentina)
• Livan Osoria (Ciudad Vóley, Argentina)
• Marlon Yang (Chaumont, France).

Women:
• Ailama Cesé and Yamisleidis Viltres (Uralochka-NTMK Sverdlovsk Region, Russia)
• Diaris Pérez and Regla Gracia (Deportivo Jaamsa, Peru)
• Claudia Hernández (Alianza Lima, Peru).

Prior to this season, the highest number of contracts was reached in the 2017/18 (11) and last season, this number was nine.

The first athlete signed by a club in the foreign leagues with the approval of Cuban sports authorities was exactly a volleyball player: Javier Jiménez, who has joined PAOK, Greece, in 2015. This summer, the Cuban federation successfully finished negotiations with three big names of the country’s male volleyball to return to the national team.

Source and photo: radiohc.cu