KUWAIT CITY, Feb 11: Today marks the conclusion of the first week of the General Handball League "Al-Damj" at the Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Complex, featuring two exciting matches. At five in the evening, defending champions Kuwait Club will face Al-Arabi, followed by a clash between Kazma and Al-Qadisiya at 7:00 pm.

Al-Fahaheel kicked off its campaign with an easy 28-14 victory over Al-Tadamon. Sulaibikhat and Al-Nasr played to a thrilling tie of 35-35, while Al-Salmiya narrowly triumphed over Al-Yarmouk  30-29. As a result, Al-Fahaheel and Al-Salmiya lead with two points each, while Al-Sulaibkhat and Al-Nasr earned one point each. Yarmouk and Al-Tadamon are yet to score.

In today's matches, the encounter between Kuwait Club and Al-Arabi promises fierce competition, given recent team developments. Kuwait Club has renewed contracts with national coach Haitham Al-Rashidi and Qatari professionals Frankis Marzo and Angel Hernandez. They have also added goalkeeper Mohamed Bouyabes to compensate for the absence of injured goalkeeper Hassan Safar. With players like Hussein Al-Moussawi, Hussein Al-Kandari, and Fawaz Al-Shammari, Kuwait Club aims for a strong start to defend the title they've held for the past 11 years.

On the other side, Al-Arabi, coached by national team coach Ahmed Foulad, seeks to showcase a strong performance. The team, known as "Sons of Mansouriya," boasts experienced players like the Tunisian duo Osama Jaziri and Osama Hosni, along with bstars Mehdi Khan and Abdullah Mustafa. The roster includes Saud Al-Duwaihi, Ahmed Al-Farhan, Haider Dashti, Muhammad Ghazanfar, and Ali Al-Moussawi.

The second match is equally crucial as Al-Qadisiya and Kazma, two top teams in the league, face off. The "Orange" team, led by former Serbian coach Bozo Rodrić, features the Tunisian duo Anwar bin Abdullah and Muhammad Farad, goalkeeper Abdulaziz Al-Dhafiri, and Jadid Lamshari Taha. Meanwhile, the "Yellow" team, coached by Macedonian Zoran Katsaratovic, is led by Montenegrin professional Vladan Lipovina and includes Salman Al-Shamali, Muhammad Jassim, Mahmoud Ali, and Abdullah Al-Hajraf.Both teams are eager to secure their first points in the league with a strong showing in their initial appearances.

Khaled El Anzi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff