One of the biggest controversies in volleyball this summer has erupted between Turkish international Adis Lagumdzija and two-time Olympic champion Earvin Ngapeth.
After the Turkish outside hitter made serious accusations against several of his former Fenerbahçe teammates, the French superstar responded with a scathing attack on social media.
Lagumdzija made the remarks during an interview with the Serbian outlet Meridian Sport, where he claimed that Fenerbahçe’s season was overshadowed by significant tensions inside the locker room.
“I don’t like talking badly about others…But other players spoke badly about us, so sometimes you have to respond. Especially the Polish and French players. They caused a complete disaster. Throughout the season, they tried to bring us down. And in the end, they made statements to save their own skin, so to speak, which did not reflect our work or what we actually did.”
Lagumdzija’s comments were directed at French outside hitter Earvin Ngapeth and Polish setter Fabian Drzyzga, both of whom were his teammates at Fenerbahçe during the 2025/26 season.
And in fact, Ngapeth wasted little time responding.
In a lengthy social media post, the French star launched a highly personal attack on his former teammate:
“In your career, you have won two major trophies, one of them with me. Lube signed you because of that season. You were so poor and so arrogant that even your own team couldn’t stand you anymore. I won’t mention names so as not to put anyone in a difficult position, but one of the best setters in the world told me this directly. You are not the player you think you are. We are not in the same league, kid. And you know very well that when we meet, you’ll come and apologize to me. Until then, try to reach the podium in the Volleyball Nations League. For you, even that would already be a huge achievement.”
One interesting detail in Ngapeth’s message deserves attention. When referring to Lagumdzija’s “two major trophies,” he was almost certainly talking about the Turkish player’s club achievements: the 2022/23 CEV Cup won with Modena alongside Ngapeth, and the 2024/25 Italian Cup won with Cucine Lube Civitanova.
There is little debate over Ngapeth’s place in volleyball history. A two-time Olympic champion, European champion, multiple-time World League winner and Volleyball Nations League champion, the French star possesses one of the most decorated résumés of his generation.
That said, his impressive list of achievements does not automatically invalidate Lagumdzija’s accusations.
Throughout his career, Ngapeth has been widely regarded as one of the sport’s greatest talents, but he has also developed a reputation for being an intensely emotional and sometimes divisive personality, with several well-documented clashes involving teammates and coaches. While this does not prove that Lagumdzija’s account of events at Fenerbahçe is accurate, it does make his version of events plausible.
For the moment, Lagumdzija has not publicly responded to Ngapeth’s latest comments, while Fabian Drzyzga has also remained silent regarding the accusations.
Whether the dispute ends here or develops into an even bigger public feud remains to be seen. What is already certain, however, is that this extraordinary exchange has become one of the most talked-about stories in the volleyball world this summer.
