TEAM COMPOSITION

Portugal is set to begin a new era at the 2012 FIVB Volleyball World League as new coach Flavio Gulinelli takes over from Juan Diaz Marino. The country has seen moderate success on the continental stage in recent years. They hosted the Final Four of the European League in 2009 and took the bronze medal, but 2010 far exceeded that.

Portugal achieved their best ever record: in 20 official matches, Portugal won 18 and lost only two, and triumphed in the European League with a 3-1 win over Spain. Portugal participated in the World League for the first time in 1999 and shocked everyone as they beat Cuba and pushed Argentina and France. In the 2005 World League, Portugal achieved their best ever result, finishing fifth and beating Brazil in straight sets. In 2006, under the direction of Brazilian Francisco dos Santos, Portugal participated in their seventh World League, and a year later they hosted the Final Four of the European League when they came close to claiming their first international trophy, but ended up losing 3-2 to Spain in the final.

Last year they returned to the World League, but after a strong start with wins over Serbia and Finland, they failed to progress, finishing 14th.

Italian coach Flavio Gulinelli steps into Jaun Diaz Marino’s shoes as Portugal look to return to the top table of world volleyball over the next few year. Born in 1958 Gulinelli started his professional career as a coach in 1989 with Italian club Maxicono Parma. His first international role came in 1996 when he was assistant coach of the Italian national team. This was his most successful period as he helped the side clinch the 1997 World League title, the 1998 World Championship and bronze at the 1997 European Championships. He returned to club level for a few years before acting as a technical assistant for Brazil from 2002 to 2004. In 2009 he was named coach of the Austrian men’s team.