In the Asian Men’s Club Volleyball Championship, Japan’s Suntory Sunbirds and Qatar’s Police SC have emerged as undefeated leaders, punching their tickets to the semifinals. Shahdab Yazd from Iran and Jakarta Bhayangkara Presisi from Indonesia have also booked their spots as the second-placed finishers in their quarterfinals Pools.
The quarterfinal rounds saw Suntory Sunbirds clinch the top position in Pool E with a straight-set victory against Jakarta Bhayangkara Presisi. Meanwhile, Police SC turned the tables on Shahdab Yazd in a nearly two-and-a-half-hour long nail-biter. After losing two sets, the Qatari team bounced back to claim a thrilling 3-2 win.
It should also be emphasized that some teams entered the championship with substantially different lineups than their national competition rosters of this season. This includes Shahdab Yazd, which boosted its ranks with Saeid Marouf from Turkey’s Fenerbahce, and Police SC, which drafted six players from other clubs, including members from Al Rayyan SC and Qatar SC. (Venno (EST), Abunabot (QAT), Naji (QAT) from Al Rayyan SC, and Georgiev (BUL/QAT), Vasic (SER/QAT), Papemaguette (QAT) from Qatar SC)
In contrast, the Suntory Sunbirds showcased their unchanged winning team from the Japanese V-League. On the other hand, the KAL Jumbos from Korea competed without their star player, Lincoln Williams.
Given the official status of this competition, which is under the authority of the Asian Confederation and serves as a qualifying tournament for the World Club Championship, it might be worth considering the establishment of stricter rules for player registration. Such measures could ensure that clubs showcase the same line-ups that competed during their regular season in their domestic leagues.
Today’s schedule features the semi-final matches, and we can expect an incredibly exciting finale of this competition held in Bahrain.
