Foolad Sirjan Stands First in Asia for the Second Time

Foolad Sirjan Iranian team has been crowned the champion of the 26th Asian Men’s Club Volleyball Championship by defeating Shahdab Yazd.

According to the Communications Department of the Volleyball Federation, the final match of the 26th Asian Men’s Club Volleyball Championship began at 5:00 PM today (Sunday, September 15) at Shahdab Yazd hall. Foolad Sirjan Iranian and Shahdab Yazd faced each other, with Foolad Sirjan Iranian winning the match 3-0 with scores of 25-20, 25-18, and 25-23, thus becoming the champions of this competition.

In the first set of this intense match between the two Iranian teams present in the Asian Club Volleyball Championship, both teams competed closely for points, making it clear from the start that they were fighting for the championship title. Both teams scored points in a close contest, but Ataei’s students from Shahdab Yazd took the lead and won the set 25-20.

The second set began with Foolad taking the lead and maintaining it. With strong defenses from Ataei’s players, Shahdab was unable to score effectively, and Foolad won the set 25-18. In this set, Masoud Gholami, the captain of Shahdab Yazd, was injured in defense and was replaced by Alireza Mosleh Abadi Farahani.

In the third and decisive set, both teams scored points closely in the final stage. Shahdab managed to take the lead at one point, but Foolad regained the lead and won the set 25-23, thus becoming the champions of this competition.

Mousa Salim from Iraq and Fahad Mohammed from Qatar were the first and second referees of the final match, respectively. The match was held in a packed Shahdab Yazd hall, filled with both male and female spectators, including fans from Sirjan.

Thus, Foolad Sirjan Iranian became the champion of the 26th Asian Men’s Club Volleyball Championship, with Shahdab Yazd as the runner-up. Additionally, Jakarta Bhayangkara Presisi (Indonesia) secured third place by defeating the representative from Kazakhstan in the third-place match.

Shahdab Yazd, the host of the 2024 Asian Men’s Club Volleyball Championship, successfully defeated Indonesia, Kazakhstan, and Kuwait in the preliminary stage. In the first knockout stage, they overcame Gas Al Janoob from Iraq. Rahman Mohammadi Rad’s players defeated Pavlodar from Kazakhstan in the semifinals, securing their fifth consecutive victory and earning a spot in the final as well as a place in the World Club Championships. This year marks Shahdab Yazd’s third participation in the Asian Club Championship.

Foolad Sirjan Iranian, the champion of the 2023 Iranian Men’s Premier League, defeated Kam Air, Gas Al Janoob, and Al Rayyan Qatar in the preliminary stage. In the first knockout stage, they overcame the Kuwaiti representative to advance to the semifinals. Behrouz Ataei’s players defeated the star-studded Jakarta team from Indonesia in the semifinals, the only five-set match of the tournament, securing their place in the final and earning a spot in the World Club Championships.

Foolad Sirjan Iranian participated in the 2021 Asian Men’s Club Volleyball Championship in Thailand as Iran’s representative, reaching the final without a loss and defeating Al Arabi Qatar in the final to win the championship and qualify for the World Club Volleyball Championship.

Shahdab Yazd and Foolad Sirjan faced each other in the final of the 2023 Iranian Men’s Premier League, where Foolad emerged victorious. This result was repeated in the Asian Club Championship final.