From the Guardian · · 1m
Yemen Football in Civil War
Yemen's national team plays Gulf Cup despite civil war.
In brief
Yemen's national team plays Gulf Cup despite civil war. Yemen's national football team qualifies for Asian Cup after civil war, aiming to give the world a different headline. Originally reported by the Guardian.
Yemen football history
Yemen have not played a home game since 2012 but football remains a religion to the Yemeni people.
“Yemen have not played a home game since 2012, but football remains ‘a religion’ to the Yemeni people”
Yemen national team loss
Yemen lost 1-0 to Qatar in Gulf Cup group stage after a penalty not given.
“The Reds crashed out of the eight-team regional tournament, taking place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with a game of the group stage remaining”
Yemen's preparation
Yemen trained in Aden before joining squad in Jeddah for Gulf Cup.
“The situation in Aden was OK. We tried our best and had a training camp with local players and then we joined up with the rest of the squad in Jeddah”
Yemen's challenges
Yemen faces civil war with Houthis controlling capital and Saudi-led intervention.
“Two years later, the capital city came under the control of the Houthis, an Iran-backed militant group, provoking a Saudi-led intervention and years of fighting”
Yemen's league status
Yemen's league stopped for years and restarted this year with first half completed.
“The league stopped for a long time and restarted this year and they finished the first half of the season”
Yemen's coach background
Noureddine Ould Ali coached Palestine before Yemen and has geopolitics experience.
“Ould Ali spent three years in charge of Palestine from 2018 to 2021, after more than four years as an assistant coach”
Yemen's Asian Cup qualification
Yemen qualified for Asian Cup in January after defeating Lebanon in Gulf Cup.
“In June, Yemen, slightly surprisingly, defeated Lebanon to become the last team to qualify for the quadrennial tournament”
The key point
Yemen's national football team qualifies for Asian Cup after civil war, aiming to give the world a different headline.
