Yemenis around the world are living nowadays what may be called “great gladness” as their national football team participates in the 2019 AFC Cup.
The greatest joy of the Yemeni people across the entire land from the far north to the far south is unprecedented, after first national football team has managed to take place in the most important and most famous football championship in Asia, and for the first time in its history since the unification of Yemen in 1990.
This achievement is considered as the most important sporting achievement of Yemen in its history so far, according to observers.
The AFC website wrote these words to describe Yemen’s qualification for the finals: it was just a “miracle” achieved for Yemeni people by their national team.
Sports analysts and observers believe that the achievement of Yemen is great, considering the state weakness and failure in the last years. The country has suffered from the war and the houthis coup, which negatively affected various aspects, including “sport”.
In this regard, sports analyst Talal Hameed said that everyone had predicted a comprehensive collapse of Yemeni sport, especially football, due to the economic downturn and the collapse of the state. However, everyone was wrong.. sport activities did not stop, but continued to develop progressively.
“We have noticed an improvement in Yemeni football in recent years.. the national team continues to develop every year” he said.
“But the most prominent feature of this success is the sustainability of sports activity, including preparation camps inside or outside the country .. All this would not have been achieved without the presence of Sheikh Ahmed Saleh al-Eisy at the head of the football federation.. al-Eisy had spent a lot of his time and effort in order to support the federation and the national teams players.” He added.
• Multiple Gains
According to sports activist Mohammed Al-Amir, the gains achieved by the Yemeni qualification for the Asian Football Cup are multiple.
Al-Amir said: the most important gain of this qualification is the great spiritualistic-push provided by the qualification to all Yemenis. young and elders, women and men are watching the television screen to follow their team in the championship.
“Perhaps I would not be exaggerating if I say that the arrival of the first national team to the AFC cup had united the all Yemenis, despite their different sects and types. They all stood behind their team. They seem to have felt “thrilled” for the first time in years” he clarified.
He concluded: the achievement that may exceed the “qualification” is the success of the Yemeni Football Federation in keeping the Yemeni national team “unified”, despite the attempts to divide it. Yemen team remained the exclusive representative of Yemeni people.
According to the opinion journalist Fuad al-Sabahi, the successes of the Yemeni football in particular and Yemeni sports in general would not have been achieved without the existence of a sincere leadership.
The head of the Yemeni football federation, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Eisy, was a guiding light for Yemeni sport in its most difficult period.
He also said: Sheikh Al-Eisy did not stop providing bonuses and financial incentives, and spiritual support in the qualifying stage until the team reached the finals. He has given an award to each player of the national team, after the qualify for the finals.
