Pakistan players leave for Asian Volleyball today

KARACHI: Pakistan volleyball team will leave for Japan on Tuesday (today) from here to feature in the 21st Asian Men’s Senior Volleyball Championship which will be held in Chiba and Funabashi from September 12 to 19.

The team on Monday evening flew from Lahore to Karachi after a two and a half months training and was scheduled to stay at the Airport Hotel here for a night before leaving for Dubai via Fly Dubai at 11:40 am on Tuesday (today). From Dubai the squad will board Ethiopian Airline, which will land in Tokyo at 20:15 pm. The flight will take a two-hour stop-over at Addis Ababa Airport in Ethiopia.

The team will return on September 20. All players and officials stayed in separate rooms keeping in view the Covid-19 protocols here at the Airport Hotel, according to a Pakistan Volleyball Federation (PVF) senior official.

“We have been very careful as nothing can be taken for granted due to the prevailing Covid situation,” the PVF secretary Shah Naeem Zafar told ‘The News’. “We have also planned to serve meals separately to players in their rooms,” Shah said.

Armin Golkari, a video analyst from Iran, will join the team in Dubai. Golkari is scheduled to fly out of Tehran for Dubai at 1:5 pm local time on Tuesday (today). In the continental event, Pakistan have been clubbed in Group B with holders Iran, Thailand and Hong Kong. The record nine-time champions and the last edition’s bronze medallists Japan, India, Qatar and Bahrain have been put in Group A. Group C carries three-time champions China, last edition’s runners-up and former champions Australia, Sri Lanka and Kuwait. Four-time champions South Korea, Chinese Taipei, Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia have been placed in Group D.

Pakistan will begin their journey with the game against Thailand on September 12. They will play against Hong Kong on September 13 and Iran on September 14. The top two teams from each group will make it to the quarter-finals league.

Shah Naeem said it would be a testing event for the Iranian coach Rahman Mohammadirad. “No doubt Mohammadirad has worked very hard with the boys. It will be seen how he handles the side on the court,” Shah said. “All teams have prepared well and we cannot underestimate any team. Even Thailand and Hong Kong are not bad sides and we will have to play a positive game against them,” Shah said.

Skipper Aimal Khan told ‘The News’ that they would have to win two matches in their group to advance to the quarter-finals league. “We need two wins,” he said. “The team looks good as boys have worked very hard and I hope we will do our best,” said Aimal, also a professional spiker.

The PVF chairman Chaudhry Mohammad Yaqoob is also accompanying the side as head delegate. Squad: Aimal Khan (captain), Sheraz, Mubashir Raza, Musawwar Khan, Mohammad Hamad, Fakhar Uddin, Kashif Naveed, Maazullah Khan, Abdul Zaheer, Hamid Yazman, Murad Khan, Afaq Khan, Nasir Ali, Usman Faryad Ali.

Officials: Muhammad Taufeeq (manager), Rahman Mohammadirad (head coach), Saeed Ahmad Khan Sady (assistant coach), Ihsan Iqbal (assistant coach), Armin Golkari (analyzer), Ubaid Ullah Shah (international referee).