Bonifante: “Internationals should be proud to play for Greece”

Having taken off the athlete’s uniform in May 2018 and wearing the coach’s suit immediately, the Dante Bonifacewith Samuele Papi at his side, took over the fortunes of the Men’s National Team and talked about his new beginning in the “blue and white”.

Details of what the Italian coach said:

For the motivation he had to take on the Men’s National: “First of all, I want to thank the Federation and the president, Mr. Karabetsos, for the opportunity they give me to be the coach of the Men’s National Team. This is my first time coaching a national team and I am grateful for the challenge. It makes sense for a new coach like me to want new challenges. It is special for me to be the coach of Greece. I know a lot about the country, I know players and when I came to play against Greek teams they were always special “.

For what he knows about the National team: “I watched all the matches of Greece in the last European championship. I have seen several matches of the Greek championship, while I also watched the final-4 of the cup. The National has a roster that combines experience and youth.

I will definitely talk to all the players who have already worn the national team jersey. I want to understand their reasoning, their feelings and their motivation. Of course we will see in what condition they are in terms of health. The most important thing is for the athletes to feel proud that they are fighting for Greece. “They must feel honored to wear the coat of arms and fight for their country.”

For the goals of the national team this summer: “Definitely a big goal is to qualify for the European Championship of 2023. The qualifiers in August are very important. The Mediterranean Games will be a good opportunity for younger athletes to gain experience with the Men’s National. We will work with the coaching staff and see who will be used in the Mediterranean and in the qualifiers. “There will probably be a mix of athletes in the two events.”

For his collaboration with Samuele Papi: “Samuele has been coming from the beginning of the season and watching the training of my team in Volley Prata and two months ago he officially joined the training team. “Papi was a great player and with his experience he can help the players and me.”

If you remember a game against a Greek team: “We played with Piacenza against Panathinaikos in Glyfada for the Champions League in 2010 and I remember the atmosphere on the pitch. It was amazing. I had experienced something similar in 2019 with the fans of Olympiacos, in my first year as a member of the coaching team of Trentino in the semifinals of the CEV Cup. I love the Greek fans, they are always warm and they support the team, giving you a boost “.

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