Fourteen teams ready to vie for glory in Doha
With the General Technical Meeting organized in the splendid scenario of the Ramada Plaza having set the tone for the stellar competition which is coming up in the next few days, we may recall the illustrious “alea iacta est” pronounced by Caesar to state that finally everything is ready for the start of the 2010 FIVB Club World Championships here in the State of Qatar.
Doha, and namely the “Al-Gharafa” sports hall, will be the venue of this world-class tournament starring representatives from all continents embarking on their quest for the crown that was retained last year by Italy’s Trentino BetClic. On the other hand, this is a very special moment for the international Volleyball family as well because the women’s competition is being re-installed after a 16-year-long break and six teams will vie for international supremacy here in Doha.
Mr. Aleksandar Boricic, FIVB Executive Vice President and President of the Control Committee, chaired the Technical Meeting that was attended by all 14 participating teams even though some – namely those from Europe - had only a few delegates on site as they are still descending on Qatar after completing their last games for the 2011 CEV Champions League. A very warm address was also given by the President of the Qatar Volleyball Association, Mr. Khalid Ali Al-Mawlawi, who re-asserted the intention of the local organizers to turn this Championship into a splendid and first class Volleyball festival.
Right after the Technical Meeting, a press conference was staged at the Ramada Plaza Hotel with all coaches being invited to express their feelings and expectations before they start their journey and quest for glory.
“We have been devoting a lot of attention to the preparation of this competition," Adel Mohmed, the Algerian-born mentor of Al-Arabi Doha, said. "We play at home and we feel the responsibility to display a good performance for our fans. Most of my players competed at the Asian Games in Guangzhou, but after they came back from China we started our training and we have been working very hard for the past 15 days."
The Qataris will join a preliminary Pool starring also Al-Ahly from Egypt, Iran’s Paykan and Poland’s star-studded team PGE Skra Belchatow. The Egyptians are playing at the tournament for the first time after Zamalek – another Egyptian club – had represented Africa in Doha last year. Coach Ibrahim Fakhreldin did not hide his pride for being part of this elite family but also recalled the long and much decorated history of his club, whose roster includes also Australian Shane Alexander.
Jacek Nawrocki, the mentor of PGE Skra, traveled to Doha after his side stamped an impressive series of wins both in the 2011 CEV Champions League as well as in the national league. However, this is not any guarantee for success here, he says
“I really want my players to forget what they have done so far because this is a completely different tournament and story," the coach stated. "Last year we finished second and certainly our ambition is to make it once again to the final game." The Poles will play their first game on Thursday against Paykan, a young Iranian side that is making its second appearance in a row at the Club World Championships.
The other Pool will feature two real powerhouses in defending champion Trentino BetClic of Italy and Dinamo Moscow of Russia. Both teams are still on their way to Doha after they secured a couple of wins in their last European games but the general manager for the Italian club, waiting for his team to show up, said he would love to enjoy a tournament similar to last year, and to possibly conclude with the crown being retained by his side.
Drean Bolivar of Argentina is representing South America in this competition and coach Javier Weber was more than happy to be here with his young team.
“We are honored to be part of this competition," he said on Tueday. "I have a young team but most of my players are included in the Argentinean national team whose progresses have been evident in the past few years, so we are here to test our ambitions and go for a good campaign."
The starting field is completed by USA's Paul Mitchell, whose coach Gary Sato praised the decision of NORCECA to choose his side to represent that area here in Doha. “We are extremely pleased to be here, my team is young but nevertheless we’ll be giving our best on court," he said.
With the women’s competition being re-installed after 16 years, six teams will compete for the crown in Doha. Italy’s Foppapedretti Bergamo and Turkey’s Fenerbahce Istanbul certainly want to have a shot at the trophy after they dominated the last edition of the CEV Champions League. However, Brazil’s Sollys Osasco will be a very tough opponent to contend with as the club arrives with some of the most accomplished Brazilian stars, such as Jaqueline or Natalia.
Three more teams representing Asia, Africa and NORCECA will also test their value here in Doha. Kenya Prisons’ coach David Lungaho said his side is very young, but “we’ll try to learn as much as possible from this experience and any set won will be a bonus."
Thailand’s Federbrau is also more than delighted to be part of this family and the feeling was echoed by coach of the Dominican Republic's Mirador, Marcos Kwiek, who said: “It is a real honor to be here and compete at the Club World Championships after 16 years have passed since the last edition. We’ll do our best to represent our Confederation here."