A second Iranian volleyball player, who played with Bulgarian national team members in the Italian SuperLega, will continue his season in Qatar. The transfer was announced by the authoritative websiteVolleyball.it. After Porya Hossein Khanzadeh, who left Lube Civitanova, opposite Amir Golzadeh also joins Qatari Al-Arabi.
Golzadeh comes from Yuasa Battery Grottazzolina, where he played alongside two Bulgarian national team members – Georgi Tatarov and Iliya Petkov – during the season. Earlier, Porya Hossein Khanzadeh left Lube Civitanova, where he was a teammate of Alex Nikolov.
Thus, two Iranians, who played for teams with a strong Bulgarian presence in Italy, are reunited in the same club in Qatar.
An additional highlight for the Bulgarian public is the fact that Al-Arabi is led by setter Borislav Georgiev – a former Bulgarian national, a silver medalist from the European Youth Championship, and a current Qatar national team member. The editorial team ofvolleyweek.bgconfirmed the information first-hand after contacting Georgiev.
According to the information we have, the transfers were not only a matter of prestige but also of necessity. One of Al-Arabi's main receivers suffered a serious injury and underwent surgery, which likely necessitated an urgent reinforcement of the squad.
This also explains the rapid recruitment first of Porya and then Golzadeh – moves intended to compensate for the deficiencies in reception and attack.
Al-Arabi's setter Borislav Georgiev confirmed tovolleyweek.bg, that both Iranians are already part of the team:
"Yes, both Iranians are with us. Porya has already played in the championship. The opposite will start from the next round on February 22."
Georgiev also revealed that he himself missed the last three rounds due to injury but expects to return to the court:
"On February 22, all three of us – the two Iranians and I – will be on the court."
The setter expressed hope that the new additions will help the team achieve its goals:
"I hope the two Iranians will help the team be a leading factor in the Qatari championship."
photos:legavolley.itand Qatar Volleyball Association
