Plamen Konstantinov: “Either bring Russian clubs back fully, or don’t bring them back at all”

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The possible return of Russian clubs to European volleyball has opened a new discussion, but for Plamen Konstantinov there should be no halfway solution.
The Bulgarian coach, now in charge of Lokomotiv Novosibirsk, believes that if Russian clubs are eventually allowed back into CEV competitions, their return should be complete rather than subject to a series of restrictions that could create new sporting and organisational problems.

The issue has gained attention following comments from Polish Volleyball Federation president Sebastian Świderski, who suggested that Russian clubs could potentially return to European competitions from the 2027/28 season, with their home matches played at neutral venues during the first season.

No such return has yet been officially approved by the CEV.
That distinction is important.
The CEV has already confirmed the return of Russian national teams to competitions under its authority following the FIVB decision concerning the reintegration of Russian national teams and officials.
The situation regarding clubs, however, remains a separate matter and has not been formally settled.

For Konstantinov, the first problem with a possible neutral-venue system is straightforward: logistics.
Russian clubs already face an extremely demanding domestic schedule, with matches sometimes played only a few days apart. Adding long international journeys for every home fixture would create an additional burden, particularly if a team had to travel abroad simply to stage a match in which it is nominally the home side.

“I understand more or less what they want,” Konstantinov said when discussing the possible arrangement. But he immediately pointed to the questions that would follow. How would the groups be organised? What would happen in the playoffs? And what if a Polish city hosted a Final Four?
Those questions become even more complicated once the competition reaches its decisive stages.
A neutral venue might provide a temporary solution during the group phase, but it would not automatically resolve the wider issue of how Russian clubs would participate throughout an entire European campaign.

Konstantinov’s position is therefore straightforward.
“If they are bringing them back, let them bring them back fully.”

The coach sees an inconsistency in a system where Russian national teams are being reintegrated into some international competitions while other opportunities remain restricted or subject to different conditions. Russia, for example, will return to the Volleyball Nations League in 2027, while the Russian men’s national team will not compete at the 2027 World Championship after the Russian federation withdrew its entry.
For Konstantinov, a similar situation could arise at club level if Russian teams are permitted to participate in European competitions but are unable to host matches normally.
“Either bring them back, or don’t bring them back,” he argued, describing what he sees as a series of half-measures that could create more complications than solutions.

One of the biggest questions concerns visas.
European club competitions involve players, coaches, medical staff and officials from several different countries. If Russian teams are travelling across Europe, the ability of their players and staff to obtain the necessary visas would become an essential part of the competition’s practical organisation.

Konstantinov believes that responsibility should not be left entirely to individual local organisers.
“If you cannot provide it, goodbye. Let the host be the one who can organise everything normally,” he said, arguing that different national approaches to visas could otherwise turn the competition into an unpredictable process.

He also pointed to the uncertainty surrounding the broader political and sporting environment. The return of national teams has now been confirmed in principle, but the conditions surrounding international participation can evolve, making long-term planning difficult for clubs and players.
That uncertainty is also reflected in the comments of Konstantin Bryanskiy and Aleksey Verbov, the coaches of Dynamo Moscow and Zenit Kazan.
Bryanskiy said he could accept Dynamo playing its home matches at a neutral venue for one season, but he also raised questions about away fixtures, the playoff stages, a possible Final Four and whether Russian clubs would be permitted to use their national symbols.
Verbov was even more cautious, highlighting the practical difficulties that can arise with international travel. He cited the case of Zenit Kazan player Ilyas Kurkaev, for whom the club reportedly waited five months for a visa for a medical consultation in Spain.

For a European club competition involving regular international travel, such delays would obviously be impossible to accommodate.
The Russian side, meanwhile, is making it clear that the return of clubs is now its next objective.
All-Russian Volleyball Federation president Stanislav Shevchenko recently described the issue as the “next item on the agenda” after the return of the national teams, saying that Russia is waiting for clarification from the CEV on when and under what conditions its clubs could return to European competitions.

For now, however, there is no official CEV decision establishing a return date for Russian clubs.
The 2027/28 season is being discussed as a possible timeframe, but it remains a scenario rather than an approved competition plan.
And that leaves European volleyball with a question that is considerably bigger than simply deciding where Russian clubs would play their home matches.
If the return eventually happens, the CEV will have to establish not only where those matches can be played, but also how travel, visas, national symbols, security, playoff venues and Final Four arrangements would work across an entire European season.
Konstantinov’s message is therefore less about demanding a particular competition format than about consistency.
If Russian clubs return, he believes they should return as fully integrated participants.
The final decision, however, remains with the CEV.

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