Mohamed Ben Sheikh, the incoming head coach of Kuwait’s national youth volleyball team.

KUWAIT CITY, Nov 15: The Kuwait Volleyball Association is close to appointing experienced Tunisian coach Mohamed Ben Sheikh as the new head coach of the national youth volleyball team. His role may later extend to the senior team, with the contract of current head coach Julián Álvarez set to expire next month.

Ben Sheikh brings an impressive record of achievements, having guided Saudi Arabia to two West Asia Youth Championships, a GCC U-17 title, and an Arab U-17 Championship. He also finished runner-up at the GCC Youth Games, in addition to coaching the Saudi senior national team and Al-Ittihad Club.

As part of a long-term development plan, the Association and the National Teams Committee intend for Ben Sheikh to lead the youth team during its participation in the First Division League. The aim is to develop a strong group of young players who can transition smoothly into the senior national team in the future. This approach will allow both coach and players to build familiarity with each other’s systems, ensuring better cohesion when competing at higher levels.

Meanwhile, the senior national team continues intensive daily training under Argentine coach Julián Álvarez and assistant coach Zaid Al-Kadhimi in preparation for the inaugural Arab Men’s Challenge Cup, hosted in Amman from November 28 to December 5.

A foreign training camp is unlikely, as approval from the Public Authority for Sports has not yet been granted. As a result, the national team is expected to travel directly to Jordan on November 26.

Kuwait will kick off its Challenge Cup campaign against hosts Jordan on the opening day, which also features matches between Egypt and Libya, and Bahrain against Palestine.

The preliminary squad for the national team includes:

Adhbi Al-Enezi, Abdullah Buftain, Omar Al-Enezi, Nawaf Al-Sanea, Mohammed Al-Dhafiri, Ibrahim Safar, Abdullah Al-Muwaina, Abdulnasser Al-Enezi, Faris Siraj, Bader Al-Attar, Rashid Anbar, Ahmed Al-Munais, Nasser Dashti, Abdullah Al-Enezi, Yousef Mandeel, Talal Abdulrazzaq, Abdulrahman Al-Mulla, Fahad Saad Yaqoub, Hassan Al-Qattan, Abdulrahman Al-Mutawa, and Saud Al-Duwaisan.

By Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff