Daniele Santarelli “on a roll” against Italy: his clarification

Turkey defeated Italy in the final of the Women’s European Volleyball Championship, but the disappointment among Italian fans wasn’t limited to the loss suffered by Paola Egonu, Anna Danesi, Alessia Orro, and their teammates. On social media, particularly X, the coach of the new European champions, Daniele Santarelli, came under fire. Among the posts directed at the Umbrian coach—who, in addition to leading Turkey, is also the head coach of Imoco Volley Conegliano—the following stand out: “I find Santarelli out of line; I understand the competitive spirit, but his celebration is too unrestrained,” “Professionalism is one thing, but celebrating like a fanatic against your own country is another,” “I understand professionalism, but seeing Santarelli with that wild look in his eyes against Italy bothers me,” and a particularly harsh “Revoke Santarelli’s Italian citizenship.”

The person at the center of the controversy—whose fervor in supporting Turkey, incidentally, went unmentioned during the live “Rai” broadcast hosted by Marco Fantasia—addressed the backlash a few hours later. “I’m Italian, and we all know that, but I work for Turkey,” Santarelli clarified. “I devote all my energy to this team, with the goal of helping it always do its best. Of course, I’m an Italian citizen—it’s perfectly normal to point that out. But I love this country and its people very much. I felt a lot of pressure facing Italy; it was tough, but I’m absolutely thrilled to be working here.”

This isn’t the first time Santarelli has found himself on the opposite side of the fence from Italy. Last September, in Bangkok, he had already experienced the thrill and the heartbreak of a World Championship final against the Azzurre, which they lost 3-2. On that occasion, the match took on an even more dramatic twist: on the other side of the net was Monica De Gennaro, the Italian libero and his wife, in what had been called the most famous “home derby” in world volleyball. This time, in Istanbul, Santarelli got his revenge, winning his second consecutive European Championship at the helm of Turkey and becoming the first coach since Massimo Barbolini—now Julio Velasco’s assistant—to win two continental titles in a row.

The final at the Sinan Erdem Sports Hall reflected the balance and tension that have characterized the matchups between the two national teams for years. The Italian women’s team, the reigning Olympic and world champions, had reached the final with eight consecutive wins in the tournament, without ever losing a set until the semifinal against Poland. Turkey, however, capitalized on home-court advantage—becoming the fifth national team in history to win the European title in front of its home crowd—and found the decisive momentum in the tiebreaker, winning 15-10. For Italy, this marks its third European silver medal, following those from 2001 and 2005.

The post-match controversy wasn’t limited to Santarelli’s celebrations. During the team introductions, a Turkish commentator chose to describe the Italian players’ entrance by listing their families’ countries of origin: “Paola Egonu from Nigeria, Sarah Fahr from Germany…”. This approach raised eyebrows among many Italian fans, especially considering that Egonu was born and raised in Italy and that Fahr, although born in Germany, has lived in Italy since she was very young. The commentator’s choice was also striking because of an obvious contradiction: Turkey itself has built part of its recent success thanks to players who were neither born nor raised in the country, such as Melissa Vargas—the undisputed star of the final—who was born and raised in Cuba and has since become a naturalized Turkish citizen.

The match in Istanbul, however, marks a painful but not definitive chapter for the Italian team. Italy concludes the tournament with a silver medal, bringing the total number of European medals in the history of the women’s national team to nine: three golds (2007, 2009, and 2021), three silvers, and three bronzes. And the path toward the next goals is already set: Turkey, thanks to its continental title, has secured a spot at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, while Julio Velasco’s Azzurre will set out once again with the determination to return to the top step of the European podium.