Kuwait Club, Al-Sulaibikhat players prepare for the championship.

KUWAIT CITY, Aug 17: Kuwait Club kicked off its training camp in Bosnia as it prepares to defend its title at the 40th Arab Handball Championship for League and Cup-winning Clubs, scheduled from September 12 to 22.

The delegation is led by First Team Director Samih Al-Hajri and includes Algerian head coach Saeed Hijazi, administrative and medical staff, and 20 players, featuring professionals Qatari Francis Marzo, Montenegrin Vladan Lipova, and Portuguese Victor Ituriza. The camp includes intensive morning and evening training sessions and several friendly matches.

The Arab Handball Federation confirmed the participating clubs: Kuwait Club, Kazma, Al-Sulaibikhat, Al-Ahly (Egypt), Al-Hashd Al-Riyadi (Iraq), Al-Taliaa and Al-Nawaeer (Syria), and Al-Ahly (Qatar).

Kuwait Club enters the tournament as the reigning champion, having defeated Zamalek in the 2023 final in Dammam and Al-Salmiya in last year’s final.

Meanwhile, Al-Sulaibikhat is also training in Bosnia until August 28, playing three friendly matches to gear up for both the Arab Championship and the Premier League. The delegation includes Board Member Jaber Sanaseri, First Team Manager Hussein Siwan, Supervisor Dawood Dashti, national coach Waleed Salmeen, his assistant Nabil Taleb, goalkeeper coach Ahmed Abdel-Latif, and 20 players, including French-Algerian Nouri Ben Halima and Portuguese Gonzalo Ribery.

In other news, Yarmouk Club has signed former Al-Nasr professional Mahmoud Naaman to strengthen its first-team squad for the upcoming season.

By Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff