MOSCOW, August 8. /TASS, Andrey Kartashov/. The Russian Volleyball Federation (RVF) will extend its official apologies over a controversial ‘slant-eye’ gesture of Russian women team’s Head Coach Sergio Busato after the match with South Korea on August 4, RVF Secretary General Alexander Yaremenko told TASS on Thursday.

Last Sunday, the Russian women’s team defeated South Korea 3-2 in the final Group E match of the FIVB (International Volleyball Federation) Women's Volleyball Intercontinental Olympic Qualification Tournament, which was hosted by the Russian city of Kaliningrad.

This victory booked a spot for the Russian team in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and after the match a picture appeared in media showing Italian-born Head Coach of the national squad Busato smiling and making a ‘slant-eye’ gesture as he was celebrating the win.

"We are all disappointed and Busato as well," Yaremenko said in an interview with TASS. "We will extend our official apologies, however, we do not even want to start raising an issue of possible sanctions against the coach."

Yonhap news agency announced on Wednesday that the South Korean Volleyball Federation (KVA) intended to lodge a complaint with FIVB over the gesture of the Russian team’s head coach demanding a penalty against him.

"The fact, which our opponents brought attention to, is certainly unpleasant," Yaremenko continued. "But Sergio has been working for the sake of the Russian volleyball for 20 years and he has always been and still is a very intelligent guy."

"He has already explained that he did not want to offend anyone, he did it because he was happy and emotional and tried to show that the team is going to Japan for the Olympics," the RVF senior executive said.

"He is not happy himself with the way he had been misinterpreted, he never tried to humiliate the team of the opponent," Yaremenko added.

Busato, 53, has been working as a volleyball coach in Russia almost since the turn of the century both at the national and clubs levels with male and female teams. He was also behind the Russian national men volleyball team’s gold at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.