Bahrain’s Ahli ‘to keep fighting’: Alsairafi

TDT | Manama                                                

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com     

Al Ahli will not let the disappointment of not making it through to the quarter-final pools of the 2023 Asian Men’s Club Volleyball Championship keep them down, as the tournament hosts will continue to give their maximum in order to claim the best final classification.

This was claimed yesterday by Ahli’s veteran middle blocker and former Bahrain national team member Ali Alsairafi.

“We are disappointed, but thank God for this win tonight,” Alsairafi told TDT last night following Ahli’s straight-sets triumph over Australia’s Canberra Heat.

The result wasn’t enough to put them through to the 16-team competition’s elite eight, as they finished third in Pool A, two points behind their counterparts from Indonesia and one from matching their Korean rivals.

“We were hoping to play in the semi-finals, but the results did not serve us,” Alsairafi said. “We now need to continue to play hard so we can go for ninth place.”

Alsairafi had a special mention for Ahli’s fans, who still turned up to support the team despite already being eliminated from further title contention.

“Our fans support our team whether we win or lose,” he said. “They come all the time. They love our team.”