Dejan Vincic may have just become the Andreas Möller of volleyball after a comical interruption in a game between VfB Friedrichshafen and BR Volleys. With the score at 2:1 and 16:18, Vincic collapsed to the ground as if struck by lightning, causing the game to be immediately halted for the point to be repeated. VfB then managed to turn the sentence, leading to their eventual 3:1 victory.
The reason for Vincic’s collapse? He felt a pain in his knee at that moment, which he claims continued to trouble him throughout the rest of the game. The move has been criticised as highly unsportsmanlike by Kaweh Niroomand, BRV manager, who voiced concerns over the rising use of such tactical gimmicks in volleyball.
National player Ruben Schott saw the humour in the situation, stating that the episode was worthy of an Oscar-winning performance. However, he also acknowledged that if the game had meant more, the situation could have easily escalated on the field.
Despite the laughter and controversy surrounding his move, Vincic was lucky not to be excluded from the game for his actions. One thing is for sure – this will be a moment that the volleyball world will remember for a long time to come.
