بقلم - أديب العفيف
The war destroyed a large sector of Yemen’s infrastructure, and sports facilities were given a share of this destruction. This destruction led to the cessation of all competitions and local sports activities.
The stadiums were destroyed, the clubs were closed and the players stopped playing their sports activities.
All of this was reflected in external participations. It was expected that these participations would be suspended as a result of the circumstances in Yemen. However, Sheikh Ahmed Saleh Al-Eisy, head of the Football Association, re-activated a wide range of sports activities.
Al-Eisy used his own money to support local sports activities and to hold mini-tournaments under the slogan “With Sport we will defeat the impossible.”
In addition to supporting the national teams of different age groups and its important role in maintaining the external participation of these teams and continuing in many tournaments and the establishment of a lot of internal and external camps.
This role has had the effect by qualifying of the national football team to the finals of Asia for the first time in its history since 1990.
Al-Eisy’s support for sport and athletes comes from a sense of the importance of sport and its role in bringing people together, uniting the feelings of Yemenis and preserving national belonging, and bringing joy to a homeland that the bullet had rubbed his happiness.
* Adeeb Al-Afif
