Unpleasant remarks about Paola Egonu and Sarah Fahr

The Women’s European Volleyball Championship final between Italy and Turkey, played Sunday in Istanbul and lost by the Azzurre in a tiebreaker, left behind not only sporting regret but also an annoying controversy. During the team introductions, in fact, a Turkish commentator chose to describe the players’ entrance by listing their families’ countries of origin: “Paola Egonu from Nigeria, Sarah Fahr from Germany…”. This approach to covering the match raised eyebrows among many.

The tone and context made the entire remark seem out of place to countless fans of Italy, especially considering, in this specific case, that Egonu was born and raised in Italy and Fahr—though born in Germany—has lived in Italy since she was very young, having followed her her mother Julia and father Florian, who started a business many years ago in the port city facing the Island of Elba.

The commentator’s choice was striking because it comes from a national team—Turkey’s—that in recent years has built part of its success on players who were neither born nor raised in Turkey. Just consider Melissa Vargas—who, incidentally, was the standout player in the final—born and raised in Cuba and naturalized as a Turkish citizen, or the presence on the bench of Sinead Jack, originally from Trinidad and Tobago, who became a naturalized Turkish citizen after marrying volleyball player Murathan Kisal.

The match, which was hotly contested right down to the last serve, became even more intense on the court, with Italy coming very close to the title and Turkey claiming the championship in front of its home crowd. The controversial remarks were picked up by numerous media outlets even after the match, amplifying the tension. Italian fans, however, unanimously condemned the Turkish commentator’s remarks, denouncing them as an attempt to delegitimize the opponent—a rhetorical ploy that, this time, only left everyone deeply perplexed.