Foolad Face Tough Challenge in Semifinals / Shahdab Yards One Step to World Championship

The volleyball teams of Foolad Sirjan Iranian and Shahdab Yazd are set to face representatives from Indonesia and Kazakhstan in the semifinals of the 2024 Asian Men’s Club Championship. This hard-fought and exciting match will not only determine who advances to the final but also secure a spot in the 2024 World Championships for the winners.

According to the Communications Department of the Volleyball Federation, the semifinals of the 26th Asian championship will take place today (Saturday, September 13) at the Shahdab Sports Hall in Yazd.

Shahdab Yazd, as the host, will compete against the Kazakh team, Pavlodar, starting at 05:00 PM. If they defeat this team, they will advance to the finals and secure their first-ever berth in the World Championships.

Shahdab Yazd sports club has been active at the highest level of Iranian volleyball since 2019, although their first season in the Premier League was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In their second season (2020), they finished fifth in the league.

In their third year of competing in the Premier League (2021), Shahdab Yazd achieved their first championship title, representing Iran in the Asian Club Championships. In their inaugural appearance at this tournament, they secured a bronze medal, adding it to their collection of honors.

In 2022, Shahdab Yazd again claimed the Premier League title and successfully defended their championship. They finished fourth in the 2023 Asian Club Championships held in Bahrain.

In the 2024 Asian Men’s Club Championship, Shahdab Yazd aims for their first gold medal and championship title. They successfully defeated representatives from Indonesia, Kazakhstan, and Kuwait in the preliminary round and overcame Iraq’s Gas Al-janoob in the quarterfinals.

Key players for Shahdab include Amir Ghafour, known among fans as the “Emperor of Iranian Volleyball,” who is number 10 for Shahdab in this tournament. He appeared on a poster released by the International Volleyball Federation to announce these competitions. Ghafour left Shahdab last year after being named the best opposite spiker in the 2023 Asian Clubs Championship but returned this season.

Another star player is Morteza Sharifi, who represented Iran in the 2024 Nations League. Having played as a legionnaire in Turkey last year, he is now back in Yazd wearing Shahdab’s clothes. Other notable players include Alireza Mosleh-Abadi, Shahrooz Homayounfar-Manesh, Masoud Gholami, and Mohammad-Reza Moazen.

The initial roster for Shahdab also includes Ilshan Davoodipour, Barbosa Lamounier, Amir Hossein Sadaghat, Ali Asghar Mirhosseini, Mohsen Delavari, Erfan Norouzi, Seyyed Reza Sadatolhosseini, and Younes Javan.

The team is coached by Rahman Mohammadi Rad, with Mehdi Mahdavi—part of Iran’s golden generation—taking on his first year as a coach alongside Mohammadi Rad.

The Pavlodar Club (Kazakhstan) began its activities in 2011 and was crowned champion of the Kazakh volleyball league for the 2022-2023 season. They also won both the Super Cup and the Kazakhstan Cup last season, marking their second appearance in the Asian Men’s Club Championship.

Pavlodar first participated in this championship in 2015, finishing fourth after losing to Iran’s Paykan. This year marks their first time reaching the semifinals. The team is coached by Gribov Sergei.

Kazakhstan’s volleyball teams have reached the semifinals for the 14th time, achieving one championship, four runner-up finishes, three third-place finishes, and five fourth-place finishes in previous editions of the Asian Men’s Club Championship.

The Tough Challenge for Foolad in the Semifinals

In another semifinal match, Foolad Sirjan Iranian team will face Jakarta Bhayangkara Presisi from Indonesia, a contest that promises to be challenging for both teams.

One of the key moves by Jakarta Bhayangkara Presisi has been the recruitment of the renowned volleyball star, Erwin Ngapeth, who brings significant experience to the team. He previously played in Iran during the 2022 Asian Club Championships held in Tehran, where he earned the title of Best Outside Hitter.

Ngapeth comes into this competition with a slew of accolades, including being named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 2022 Volleyball Nations League, winning the Nations League in 2024, and securing gold medals at both the Paris and Tokyo Olympics. He is set to compete against Foolad’s players with a wealth of experience.

Another standout player for Jakarta is Jean Patry, who has also represented France at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Standing at 207 cm tall, with a spike height of 357 cm and a block height of 334 cm, Patry is ranked among the top players globally. He has played for prestigious clubs such as Galatasaray in Turkey, Jastrzębski Węgiel in Poland, and Milano in Italy.

Patry’s accolades include being named the Best Opposite spikerat the Paris Olympics, the 2024 Nations League, and the PlusLiga in Poland for the 2023-2024 season. He has also been recognized as the MVP and top scorer in the European Olympic qualifiers in 2021.

This marks Jakarta’s third appearance in the semifinals of this tournament, having previously secured a runner-up position and a third-place finish.

Foolad Sirjan Iranian, as the champion of the 1402 Premier League, is competing in the 2024 Asian Men’s Club Championship under the guidance of coach Behrooz Attayi. The team has advanced to the semifinals with four consecutive victories.

Sirjan has a rich history in Iranian volleyball. In 2017, Gol Gohar Sirjan won the First Division Championship, earning promotion to the Premier League. Foolad Sirjan made its Premier League debut in 2018 under coach Mohammad Reza Damghani.

In its inaugural season, Foolad finished fourth in the league with 15 wins and 45 points, qualifying for the playoffs but ultimately losing to Payam Mashhad in two consecutive matches.

During the 2019 season, which was disrupted by COVID-19, Foolad achieved six wins and 20 points in 15 matches. However, they went on to win the league titles in both 2020 and 2022, securing spots in Asian competitions.

In the 2021 Asian Men’s Club Championship held in Thailand, Foolad represented Iran and made it to the finals without losing a match. They ultimately defeated Al Arabi from Qatar with a score of 3-1 to claim the championship title and qualify for the World Club Championship.

In 1402 Premier League season, Foolad triumphed over Shahdab Yazd in both final matches to become Iranian champions once again and earn a spot in Asian competitions.

The roster for Foolad Sirjan includes Amir Karimi, Ashkan Haghdoust, Seyed Mohammad Mousavi, Esmaeil Mosafer, Ahmadreza Shahsavari, Mojtaba Mirzajanpour, Alireza Abdolhamidi, Amirhossein Esfandiar, Ali Ramezani, Amin Khajeh Khalili, Ali Hajipour Moghadam, Mahdi Marandi, Armin Ghelichniazi, and Mohammad Valizadeh.

Under Ataei’s leadership, Foolad successfully defeated teams from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Qatar in the preliminary rounds and went on to overcome Kuwait in the quarterfinals to reach this pivotal stage.

Exciting Clash Between Mousavi and Hajipour Vs Ngapeth and Patry

The competition between Iran’s Mousavi and Hajipour against Olympic gold medalists Ngapeth and Patry, who play for Jakarta, is one of the highlights of this match. Throughout the history of these competitions, 11 players from Iran’s teams have been selected as the best defenders 17 times. Mohammad Mousavi, who holds the record for Iranians with six titles, is one of the key players for Foolad in countering Ngapeth’s attacks. Additionally, the rivalry between two players from Iran and Indonesia in the opposite spiker position adds to the excitement of this semi-final match. On one side is Jean Patry, who has an Olympic gold medal from the 2024 Paris Games, and on the other is Ali Hajipour, who has been the top scorer in three preliminary and quarter-final matches for Foolad Sirjan. Hajipour suffered a severe injury in the third week of the 2023 Nations League in Anaheim, USA, which kept him away from volleyball for a year. However, he has made a brilliant comeback. This young Iranian player must perform in such a way in the semi-finals that, despite Indonesia having Jean Patry in the same position, they do not advance to the finals.