Egonu accused of "bullying" after a Chinese player blocked her. And there's already controversy on social media

During the Nations League match won 3-0 by Italy over China, Paola Egonu called her 19-year-old opponent Dong Yuhan to the net after being blocked in the third set. The gesture was deemed unfair by the referee, who warned her, but the controversy exploded especially on social media where many users accused her of being arrogant and unsportsmanlike. Egonu, through a post on social media, wanted to clarify her behavior: "All I wanted to tell the Chinese player was to be careful because she fell in my half of the court and this could have been dangerous for both me and her. You see me as a bully but I only wanted to help her, since, in the same way, one of her teammates got injured. And I don't care that I was blocked in that action, because that's volleyball." The clarification didn't completely calm the debate, but it showed the human and protective side of the champion, often the target of exaggerated criticism.