Cuban Diago to Coach Algerian Volleyball Team

Argel, Apr 9 (Prensa Latina) Cuban former setter Raul Diago, winner of six medals in the World League, will soon be the head coach of the Algerian national volleyball team, the Federation of Volleyball of this northern African country (FAV) confirmed on Tuesday.

Algeria's new Minister of Youth and Sports, Raouf Bernaoui, highlighted the benefits of hiring Diago, a 'world-class technician' who will bring experience and knowledge to the national team.

According to the official, the Cuban coach will help boost the quality of volleyball in Algeria, and recalled the mark left by the Cuban team in international courts against bigger nations.

Although it has good coaches who often work in the shadows, Algeria, which has great ambitions in the field of sport, among others, needs the Cuban experience to reach another dimension, he added.

Diago, head of the Cuban Volleyball Federation from 2006 to 2011, will have a renewable one-year contract.

My goal is to make Algeria the best nation on a continental scale, said the Cuban coach, who pointed out that the main goal will be the African Championship, which is a qualifier for the 2019 World Cup and the 2020 Olympic Games.

For his part, FAV President Mustapha Lemouchi expressed his satisfaction for the hiring of the Cuban coach, also sought after by an Italian club and the Egyptian Volleyball Federation.