Volleyball Association blunder like Ajax in 2021: Bennie Tuinstra misses hunt for Games | Sports Other

The association forgot to check Tuinstra’s name. This did go well for the other 29 selection players. After discovering the error, an attempt was made in vain to get the passer/runner eligible to play.

The mistake is reminiscent of the blunder that Ajax committed in 2021 with Sébastien Haller. The Amsterdam team then forgot to put a check mark behind the name of the striker, who therefore could not play in the Europa League.

Volleyball director Herman Meppelink finds the mistake with Tuinstra “terrible”. “It is tragic that this happens to a player of the team. We feel sorry for Bennie, who always commits himself unconditionally to the team. I also find it very annoying for the staff and the team. Unfortunately, it has remained irreversible.”

Tuinstra himself is also very disappointed, especially because the Dutch team is trying to reach the Olympic Games. “When you hear that you cannot contribute to this now, your stomach turns,” says De Fries.

Of the 29 registered volleyball players, Dutch national team coach Roberto Piazza can use fourteen during the Nations League. Tuinstra would normally be one of those fourteen players.

In the Nations League, the last five of the twelve Olympic tickets are distributed. The Netherlands will play against eleven countries in May and June and must therefore finish in the top five in the group of twelve. If that is successful, Tuinstra may be registered for the Games.

The Dutch volleyball players have attended the Games six times in the past, with the highlight being gold in 1996. Four years earlier, the Dutch team took home a silver medal.