MUSCAT, Feb 12: The West Asian Club Championship for Men, concluded recently in Sohar Sports City, witnessed the Kuwait Club volleyball team's Abdullah Bouftin being named the "best server," and Iranian player Sar Kazemi securing the title of the best player in position 2, both earning spots in the tournament's ideal squad.

The distinguished squad also featured Bilal Nabil "Al-Rayyan" as the best player in position 3, with teammates Suleiman Saeed awarded as the best libero, Olivier Fino recognized as the best overall player, Ibrahim Saeed "Al-Arabi" as the best player in position 3, Renan Ribeiro as the best player in position 4, and Nasser Annan "Al-Ahly" as the best player in position 4.

The championship concluded with a repeat of the first edition, as Al-Rayyan of Qatar claimed the title for the second consecutive time, defeating "Al-Kuwait" in three clean sets (25-18, 25-22, 25-13). "Al-Kuwait" secured the runner-up position for the second time in a row. Al-Arabi of Qatar clinched the third spot by defeating Al-Ahli of Bahrain, securing fourth place with a 3-0 victory. Other rankings include Al-Seeb of Oman in fifth place, Qadisiyah of Kuwait in sixth, Sohar of Oman in seventh, Baniyas of the Emirates in eighth, Al-Ibtisam of Saudi Arabia in ninth, and Shabab Al-Hussein of Jordan in tenth.

Musleh Al-Rashidi, the Director of Volleyball at Kuwait Club, commended the high level displayed by the "Al-Kuwait" players in the championship. Despite reaching the final match for the second consecutive time, he acknowledged their inability to secure the title. Al-Rashidi stated, "We have turned the page on the tournament and will now focus on preparing for the remaining postponed local league matches, followed by the semi-finals as we strive to defend the title we achieved last season."

Khaled El Anzi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff