Al-Kuwait start Club World Cup campaign on winning note

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RIYADH, Nov 7: The Kuwait Club’s handball team delivered a commanding performance at the outset of the Club World Cup Handball Championship “Saudi Super Globe 2023,” which commenced in Dammam. They secured a resounding victory against the Argentine club Fernando with a score of 41-28 in the opening round of matches.
Meanwhile, in the same group, Al-Najma of Bahrain clashed with Kelsey of Poland, with Kelsey narrowly emerging victorious at 27-26.

The Tunisian professional standout, Khaled Beljah, known as “White,” was honored with the Best Player Award in this game, where several players stood out, including goalkeeper Hassan Safar in the second half, Saif Al-Adwani, Saleh Al-Moussawi, and Abdulaziz Al-Shammari.

In their upcoming fixture, Al-Kuwait will face off against Fox Berlin of Germany in the second group match on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. . the Bahraini team will take on Cal Heat of America, Fernando of Argentina will compete against Fox Berlin of Germany, Al-Noor of Saudi Arabia will confront Barcelona of Spain, and Al-Khaleej of Saudi Arabia will go up against Queensland of Australia.

Kuwait National Team coach Haitham Al-Rashidi noted that the team have faced challenges due to players participating in the Asian Games and Paris 2024 qualifiers, as well as injuries. He emphasized that the Club World Cup is crucial preparation for the Asian Club Championship. The tournament features 4 or 5 top club teams globally, and the team’s goal is to fine-tune their strategies to benefit the Kuwait national team in the upcoming Asian Cup.

Al-Rashidi mentioned that some players like Abdullah Al-Gharabally, Fawaz Abdul-Jalil, Abdullah Al-Khamis, and Abdul-Rahman Al-Baloul are still recovering from injuries. He expressed hope that the team would be at full strength for the Asian Championship.

In other news, Al-Qadsia signed a contract with the Japanese national team player, Kosyoko Yasuhira, to represent them the 26th edition of the Asian Club Championship. This championship will be hosted by Al-Qadsia from the 17th to the 27th of this month at the Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Complex in the Sabah Al-Salem suburb.

Yasuhira boasts an impressive resume, having excelled with the Japanese national team during the Asian qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Japan emerged as champions. He was also awarded the title of Best Player with the French team Nimes in 2022 and was named the Best Player in the Macedonian Cup with the Vardar team during the 2022-2023 season.

Al-Qadsia are currently in training in Doha, Qatar, as part of their preparations for the Asian Cup. The addition of Yasuhira comes as a replacement for Montenegrin team’s professional, Vasiliy Kalgirovic, who sustained an injury during the training camp. The Asian team also includes the Tunisian goalkeeper, Emil Al-Nakili, the Argentine circuit player, Moscarello, and the Montenegrin team’s professional, Vladan Lipovina, alongside “Bani Qadiz” national Hussein Habib.

The draw for the tournament placed Al-Qadsia in the second group, alongside the Indian Sai, the Qatari Al-Arabi, the Iraqi Army, the Lebanese Sidon Youth, and the Emirati Sharjah. The first group consists of the second Kuwaiti representative, Al Kuwait, Najma, the Qatari Al-Gharafa, the Saudi Gulf, the Palestinian Salah, and the Indian Golden Eagle.

Khaled El Anzi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff

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