Kazan, Russia, May 14, 2018. Kazan was the fourth Russian city to host the final stage of the CEV Volleyball Champions League – Men and the capital of Tatarstan lived up to its reputation as Russia’s sports capital by hosting a truly majestic event. The home heroes of Zenit KAZAN added another chapter to their unprecedented success story at the end of a truly exciting weekend, with thousands of fans in attendance to crown the best men’s club team in Europe. As many as 22,500 spectators followed the matches at the iconic Basket-Hall where they could enjoy a real Volleyball party on and off the court.

•    Kazan followed in the footsteps of three other Russian cities – Belgorod, Moscow and Omsk – that had previously hosted the Final Four in 2004, 2007 and 2013.
•    In three of such occasions (2004, 2013 and 2018), the hosts have used the home-court advantage to the fullest to claim Europe’s most coveted crown.
•    After their dramatic 3-2 victory in the final match with Italy’s Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA, Zenit KAZAN improved their all-time record to six Champions League titles – and became the first side in history to sweep the top honours for four years in a row. They previously shared the record of three straight titles with Italy’s TRENTINO Volley.
•    Their middle blocker Alexander Gutsalyuk, who took to the court in the matchup with Lube, is the only player to date to have six CL titles to his name – five with Zenit KAZAN (2012, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018) and one with Lokomotiv NOVOSIBIRSK (2013).
•    Russian teams have swept the title for seven years in a row now – starting with Zenit KAZAN’s victory in 2012, followed by Lokomotiv and Belogorie BELGOROD in 2013 and 2014 respectively, before the team from Tatarstan went on to win the title for four straight years.
•    The ten-time Russian national champions completed a clean sweep of all competitions they contested this season – a record including their first-ever gold medal from the FIVB Men’s Club World Championship.
•    Zenit KAZAN did not lose a single match in the 2018 edition of the CEV Volleyball Champions League, seizing the crown by dropping only five sets along the way.



•    The ‘grand finale’ with Cucine Lube was the last match contested by Wilfredo Leon Venero with the shirt of Zenit KAZAN. After playing 199 games with the Russian ‘armada’, Leon is set to move to Italy and spend at least two seasons with this year’s CL bronze medal winners Sir Colussi Sicoma PERUGIA.
•    The organisers and fans deserved a touching tribute to Leon at the end of the medal ceremony, playing a video reviewing his four years with Zenit KAZAN and the many successes he achieved with the team. Leon stayed at the Basket-Hall until late at night to bid farewell to friends and supporters.
•    The losers of the gold medal match, Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA, secured their best result in the CEV Champions League since they won the title in 2002 – under their previous denomination of Lube Banca Marche MACERATA. Their record in the competition includes bronze medals from 2016 and 2017 as well as fourth-place finishes in 2007 and 2009.
•    Italy’s Sir Colussi Sicoma PERUGIA claimed their second straight medal in the CEV Volleyball Champions League. This time they finished third after winning silver when they hosted last year’s Finals in Rome.

Click here for further information or visit the official website http://finalfour.zenit-kazan.com/en.