Former Brazilian volleyball coach Bernardo Rocha, 62, better known as Bernardinho, revealed that he decided to leave the French national team to take care of his youngest daughter, who is very shaken by his divorce from Fernanda Venturini, 51.
“Since my divorce, the situation has been a little difficult with my two daughters. [de 12 anos] suffered from the separation. Psychologically, she was bad. We argued, but I realized I couldn’t leave her alone,” he said in an interview with French newspaper L’Equipe.
The former coach had taken charge of the French national team in 2021, with the aim of seeking a double Olympic title at the Paris 2024 games. Bernardinho also adds that leaving the national team was one of the most difficult decisions of his life.
“The decision was the most difficult of my life. It is not easy to abandon such a beautiful, so special project. The Paris Olympic Games were in sight, with a large group of players”, he added. Bernardinho and Fernanda Venturini, also a former volleyball player, were married for 21 years and stayed together until October 2020. They are the parents of Júlia and Vitória.
According to Venturini, the breakup took place on September 9 and, initially, they stayed in the same house. “We have a good relationship and two daughters,” she said at the time. “When the separation happens in a healthy way, when there is no betrayal, there’s no reason for it to not be friendly. We were together for 25 years, married for 21,” she added.
Bernardinho’s adviser said that the coach does not comment on his personal life. The two started dating in 1995. At the time, Venturini was the titular setter of the Brazilian women’s volleyball team, commanded by the coach. The wedding took place in Curitiba.
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