Carlos Schwanke

KUWAIT CITY, Aug 11: Kuwait Club has announced the appointment of Brazilian coach Carlos Schwanke to lead its first volleyball team for the upcoming 2025-2026 season. Schwanke takes over from his compatriot Talmo Oliveira, who has moved to Saudi Arabia to coach Al-Ula Club.

Schwanke boasts an extensive and accomplished coaching career. In 2021, he guided the Brazilian national team to victory in the World League. His résumé also includes stints with the Bahraini national team, Kulaib Club, and Al-Rayyan Club of Qatar. Notably, he led Egypt’s Zamalek SC to win the 43rd Arab Men’s Volleyball Clubs Championship in Doha, defeating fellow Egyptian side Al-Ahly 3-0 in the final.

To strengthen the squad, Kuwait Club has signed two new foreign professionals: Estonian Oliver Finn, formerly of Al-Rayyan, and Canadian star Nicholas Hoag, captain of Qatar’s Al-Arabi Club.

The team has also renewed contracts with key local players Abdullah Jassim, Abdulrahman Al-Otaibi, Amer Al-Saleem, and Abdullah Bouftin, while adding Kuwaiti Al-Arabi player Abdullah Al-Muwaine to the roster.

Preparations for the new season began with a week of gym sessions and fitness training. Ball training will start next week, running alongside continued conditioning work until Coach Schwanke arrives.

Kuwait Club is expected to hold an overseas training camp ahead of the new season, which will kick off with the Federation Championship in mid-September. The volleyball season will conclude in May 2026.

By Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff