Burgan begins Bosnia camp ahead of Club World Cup

Japanese star Yasuhira is key to Burgan’s ambitions.

KUWAIT CITY, Aug 30: Burgan’s first-team handball squad will leave Kuwait at 6:30 p.m. today for Bosnia, where they will hold a training camp until September 20 as part of their preparations for the Handball Club World Cup in Cairo from September 25 to October 1.

The Asian champion is scheduled to play four friendly matches during the camp, with head coach Yaqoub Al-Mousawi looking to sharpen the team’s technical and physical readiness and ensure the players reach peak form before their historic appearance on the world stage.

Burgan will return to Kuwait on September 20, then travel to Cairo on September 23 to complete its final preparations for the tournament.

Club chairman Anwar Al-Otaibi will lead the delegation, which includes vice chairman Mohammed Nasser, handball director Abdulaziz Najeeb, head coach Al-Mousawi, fitness coach Saud Al-Sammak, assistant coach Nasser Bukhadra, and performance analyst Faisal Al-Nassar, along with the coaching staff, players, and foreign professionals Angel Hernandez and Yasuhiro.

The Club World Cup draw placed Burgan in Group B alongside German powerhouse Füchse Berlin, Egyptian hosts Al Ahly, and the winner of the preliminary-round clash between Hungarian side Veszprém and Australia’s Sydney.

Group A features Spanish giant Barcelona, Morocco’s Montada Derb Sultan, Brazil’s Pinheiros, and the winner of the preliminary-round meeting between Egypt's Zamalek and Los Angeles, USA.

Burgan head into the tournament after making club history by winning the Asian Handball Clubs Championship for the first time, earning its place among the world’s leading handball teams.

The club has also moved aggressively to strengthen its squad ahead of a demanding season. Burgan have completed six domestic signings, bringing in Abdullah Al-Attiyah from Al-Qadsia and five players from Al-Salmiya: Hussein Salman, Bandar Al-Shammari, Mohammed Al-Bahr, Hassan Rajab, and Yousef Rajab.

The new arrivals will add depth to a squad that already includes Japanese professional Yasuhiro and Angel Hernandez. The reinforcements reflect the club’s strategy of building a competitive team capable of handling a crowded domestic and international schedule while maintaining the core of the side that delivered its historic Asian triumph.

By Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff