About ten days before the start of the Lebanon First Division Volleyball Championship for the 2023-2024 season, Federation President Walid Al-Qasouf chaired a meeting in one of the halls of "Michel Murr Stadium" in Baouchrieh. His deputy, Emil Jabbour, the general secretary, Issam Abu Joudeh, the treasurer, Asaf Mahna, federation member and national teams director Dr. Eli Moussa, engineer Ali Abu Ali, international referee committee chair Hanaa Zaili, and technical committee chair Tony Ghanem attended the meeting, along with the heads and representatives of the First Division (men) clubs and their coaches.
At the beginning of the meeting, the attendees stood for a minute of silence in mourning for the martyrs of Gaza and Lebanon and for the young man, Suleiman Sarkis. Al-Qasouf then delivered a speech in which he said: "I welcome each of you to this general technical meeting ten days before the launch of the Lebanon First Division Championship, which promises to be exciting this season. The reintroduction of a foreign player with each team will enhance the matches and elevate their level. As you have noticed, volleyball has returned to the spotlight, especially after the intense competition witnessed last season. As we approach the start of the 2023-2024 season, I am closely following the preparations and training of the clubs and am informed of the news surrounding the sport through sports media, which has dedicated significant coverage to volleyball almost daily."
He continued by indicating that this meeting aims to inform the clubs about all the laws and regulations related to the championship to ensure they are aware of all technical, organizational, and administrative aspects, including the conduct of spectators during matches. "From this standpoint, I urge each club president to instruct their fans to respect the principles of supportive cheering and to ensure their coaching staff and players comply with the referees' decisions, as they are the elite referees in the Arab region, as acknowledged by all."
In this context, the administrative committee approved a series of resolutions, procedures, and championship regulations which were sent to you earlier to give you ample time to study and implement them during the matches. "We all love volleyball, and we strive for it, and may the loser accept their loss with sportsmanship and congratulate the winner away from disturbances and problems during or after the matches. To my colleagues on the federation's administrative committee who lead or support a specific club, I urge you to put the game's interest above your clubs' interest, which is necessary for the smooth progress of the championship that we hope will achieve great success. This also applies to me, and I commit to this from now on in front of you. I wish success to all clubs in the 2023-2024 championship, and may the strongest win in the end, and may the team that deserves it lift the cup ultimately. May God protect our beloved country, Lebanon."
Abu Joudeh then elaborated on the championship's system, promotion and relegation mechanism, and several organizational, administrative matters, including crowd control. Jabbour intervened on several issues, after which Al-Qasouf, Jabbour, and Abu Joudeh responded to questions from club representatives and coaches in an atmosphere of transparency.
