Two French internationals extended the contracts with their Italian clubs. Star middle blocker Barthelemy Chinenyeze signed to compete for Cucine Lube Civitanova at least until 2027, while opposite Theo Faure and Cisterna Volley shook hands to cooperate at least until 2026.
Superlega 2023
French internationals extend contracts in Italy
Chinenyeze to stay with Lube until 2027; Faure – with Cisterna until 2026
Published 09:06, 25 Feb 2024
Barthelemy Chinenyeze
- Watch Italy’s SuperLega Credem Banca live and on demand on VBTV.
25-year-old Chinenyeze was the second foreign star to extend his contract with Lube recently, after Bulgarian outside hitter Aleksandar Nikolov did so last week. The 2.04m-tall Frenchman is currently into his second season with the club from Civitanova and is now set to compete for the team for another three seasons. In his first season, the team earned a SuperLega Credem Banca silver and reached the Supercoppa Italiana final. This season, Chinenyeze and his teammates reached the Italian super cup final again, stopping just short of claiming the trophy in a nail-biting five-setter against reigning club world champions Sir Susa Vim Perugia. Lube are currently running third in the SuperLega regular season standings and are on the verge of qualifying for the semifinals of the CEV Champions League. Chinenyeze has claimed a number of match MVP awards as a player of Lube. He was also named SuperLega Player of the Month in January.
The greatest success in Chinenyeze’s athletic career was the Olympic gold he and his teammates in the French national team celebrated at the Tokyo 2020 Games in 2021. Furthermore, he was individually named on the Dream Team of the tournament. As a French international, the middle blocker also helped his country win the FIVB Volleyball World League gold in 2017 and a full set of Volleyball Nations League medals, including the gold in 2022. Before transferring to Italy, Chinenyeze played for clubs in France and Poland. In his last season at home, he triumphed as a 2019 French champion and cup winner with Tours. Before Lube, he also defended the colours of Italian clubs Tonno Callipo Calabria Vibo Valentia and Allianz Milan.
“I feel very comfortable at Lube. It has always been among my favourite teams since I was a kid. I dreamed of being part of it,” Chinenyeze told lubevolley.it. “The winning mentality that exists in this club pushes you to give more and more. Expectations are always high. I consider my first season here to be very positive, because we showed growth, fighting for the title until the end, and we were very close. Furthermore, the journey in the playoffs was epic, an overwhelming, incredible experience, because we showed great character by overturning the quarterfinal series with Verona and coming back in the semifinal against Milan. I'm really happy to stay and I thank everyone, of course, also the fans, who I hope to find in large numbers on the stands every Sunday, home and away. I promise to give 200% to ensure that Civitanova competes for the most prestigious goals.”
The move to Cisterna Volley in 2023 was the first foreign transfer in 2.02m-tall Theo Faure’s volleyball career. The 24-year-old opposite arrived in Italy after winning France’s championship title and super cup with Montpellier Volley in 2022 and claiming the MVP of the super cup nomination. He has spearheaded Cisterna’s offense and is currently in the lead of the SuperLega Credem Banca season’s best scorers’ chart with a total of 391 points, or 13 points clear at the top. With two legs to go to the end of the regular season, Faure and his teammates are still in the running for a spot in the playoffs. Theo Faure made his French national team debut in 2021.
“The level of the Italian SuperLega is very high and I can say that I feel very comfortable at Cisterna, because I can work and continue my growth path. I also feel at ease in the city,” Faure told cisternavolley.it. “And I must say that there are all the elements to continue improving in the future.”
Today's SuperLega Credem Banca schedule:
Feb 25, 16:00 local (15:00 UTC): Cucine Lube Civitanova v Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza
Feb 25, 17:00 local (16:00 UTC): Gioiella Prisma Taranto v Allianz Milan
Feb 25, 18:00 local (17:00 UTC): Valsa Group Modena v Farmitalia Catania
Feb 25, 18:00 local (17:00 UTC): Sir Susa Vim Perugia v Itas Trentino Trento
Feb 25, 18:00 local (17:00 UTC): Cisterna Volley v Rana Verona
