By Farrokh Hesabi

Volleyball expert hits out as Shahdab performance in Asia

May 22, 2023 - 20:7

TEHRAN - Mostafa Karkhaneh, director of Iran volleyball national teams, expressed disappointment in Shahdab Yazd's results in the 2023 Asian Club Volleyball Championship.

Shahdab came in fourth at the 2023 Asian Club Volleyball Championship after losing to Police of Qatar in the bronze medal match.

The team lost all three matches during the competition held in Manama, Bahrain.

Karkhaneh stated in his interview with the Tehran Times that the results were far from satisfactory.

“Shahdab were a star-studded team, and the expectations were high from them, but they failed to meet them,” said the Iranian volleyball expert.

Shahdab lost to Police of Qatar 3-1 (24-26, 25-16, 25-20, 25-19) on Sunday. The team's second loss to the Qatari side followed a previous defeat at the hands of the Japanese team Suntory Sunbirds.

“The club's management has provided the team with top-notch facilities. The team boasted six or seven of Iran and Asia's finest volleyball players, some of whom competed in the Olympics.

“Shahdab's performance did not live up to the expectations set by Iranian volleyball at national and club levels in the past 15-20 years.

“I believe that managing big stars in a team is an art for the head coaches. Shahdab failed to manage the condition in my opinion,” concluded Mostafa Karkhaneh.