KUWAIT CITY, Sept 18: Sheikh Fahd Talal Al-Fahd, Vice Chairman of the Al-Qadsia Club Board of Directors, has affirmed that the handball team will be fully prepared before the commencement of the 26th edition of the Asian Clubs Championship. This championship is set to be hosted by “Al-Asfar” from November 17th to 26th at Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Hall.

During the tournament draw ceremony, organized by the Asian Handball Federation, Al-Fahd expressed their satisfaction with the transparent draw. Simultaneously, they extended a warm welcome to the Asian clubs participating in this continental event, which takes place in their second home, Kuwait. The draw for the Asian Handball Clubs Championship placed the host team, Al-Qadsia, in Group 2, alongside Indian club Sai, Qatari club Al-Arabi, the Iraqi Army team, the UAE’s Sharjah, and Lebanon’s Saida Youth.

On the other hand, the “Al-Kuwait” club, Kuwait’s second handball representative in the tournament, was also positioned in Group 2, which is considered the most challenging and competitive group. They will compete alongside Bahrain’s Star, Saudi Arabia’s Gulf, Qatar’s Al-Gharafa, Palestine’s Salah, and India’s Golden Eagle. Al-Fahd emphasized, “Under the leadership of Madi Al-Mutairi, the coaching staff is diligently preparing the team. The team is set to enter an external training camp in Montenegro at the end of October, lasting for 22 days. Additionally, we are in the process of signing highly skilled foreign professionals.” He expressed his hope that the title of the Asian Handball Clubs Championship would remain in Kuwait and that the cup would not leave the country.

It is important to note that during the summer, the Al-Qadsia handball team signed two Montenegrin players, Vasilije Kaluerović and Vladan Ljubovina. The team is being coached by the national coach, Hussein Habeib, who expressed his satisfaction with the draw, stating, “We are actively working on securing foreign professionals, with one of them being a goalkeeper and the other a center-back.” Habeib also mentioned that the team commenced preparations at the beginning of August and will engage in several local friendly matches in the coming week. In October, there is a planned mini local championship involving Al- Qadsia, Al-Nasr, Al-Salmiya, and Al- Arabi, pending official approval from the mentioned clubs.”