DUBAI // There was not a spectator in the stands when the referee blew the opening whistle at the Hamdan bin Mohammed Sports Complex yesterday, to get the second day of the Asian Senior Men's Volleyball Championships underway.
Gradually, a few trudged in and by the time the referee blew his final whistle in the day's opening game, probably a dozen fans were in the stands – all of them Indian – and all of them disappointed as their team lost a five-set thriller to Qatar 17-25, 25-21, 23-25, 25-23, 15-13.
As the dejected Indian players, and the jubilant Qataris, left the court, there was a sudden change in the atmosphere. And it was not entirely unexpected.
Any team coming from Iran have always enjoyed considerable support among their expatriates in the UAE and it was no different for their volleyball team, who are the defending champions here. The numbers in the stands swelled as the Iranians started warming up for a game against Kuwait. A bit later, a couple of buses arrived with schoolchildren, each carrying the Iranian flag, to finally bring some atmosphere to the venue. Finally, there was some semblance of an international championship.
Egged on by their fans, Iran made short work of Kuwait, winning 25-13, 25-12, 25-17 to finish their Group C engagements with a 100 per cent win record.
The Indian coach, Bir Singh Yadav, was wishing he had that kind of support in the morning, but the bigger problem for him was the absence of a libero. His original choice, Kamlesh Khatik, fell ill as the team got ready to leave for Dubai and a striker, Pankaj Sharka, was forced to do the job yesterday.
"It is really difficult when you are missing your libero," said Yadav, who was hoping to win the game to avoid one of the favourites, Australia, in the next round.
Qatar wanted to win for the same reason and now they could meet neighbours Bahrain.
"Since I have been coach, we have never won against India," said Igor Arbutina, Qatar's Croatian coach. "This is the first victory. I am also happy because the team showed character, bouncing back from difficult moments more than a few times.
"This is a good sign for us, moving forward into the competition."
arizvi@thenational.ae
India lament loss of libero at Asian Volleyball Championships
The UAE's Iranian expatriate population were in full voice cheering their team on to another victory at the men's Asian Volleyball Championship in Dubai.
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