On Wednesday, September 17th, Japan faced Libya in the qualifying round of the 2025 Men's Volleyball World Championship (World Volleyball) and won 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-12).
After the match, Japan's Miyaura Kento and Libya's captain El Maalg were seen exchanging jerseys.
Afterwards, a tearful Elmarg told Volleyball World:
"Insha'Allah (God willing). This was the first time in 43 years that the Libyan national team had participated in this tournament, and it was an opportunity we had been waiting for for a long time. I think we showed some great play.
We want to be even stronger in the next tournament and enjoy every match. InshaAllah, I promise you, you will see us again at the next World Championships."
When asked about the uniform exchange,
"Japan's No. 4 player (Miyaura) looks just like my eldest son. He's left-handed and plays the same way. Before coming to the tournament, I had already decided to bring back Miyaura's uniform for my son."
Finally, when asked to give a message to his fans in his home country,
"To all the Libyans who watched the match, please be proud of your team. We lost all the matches, but we will surely come back as a stronger team in the near future, Insha'Allah."
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Photo: Volleyball World
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