Football in Yemen

Football in Yemen is run by the Yemen Football Association.[1][2][3] The association administers the Yemen national football team, as well as the Yemeni League.[4]

Football in Yemen
CountryYemen
Governing bodyYemen Football Association
National team(s)men's national team
Club competitions
International competitions

Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Yemen. The Yemen national football team competes in the FIFA and AFC leagues. The country also hosts many football clubs that compete nationally and internationally.

Yemen hosted the 20th Arabian Gulf Cup in Aden in 2010. Yemen was thought to be the strongest competitor, but was defeated in the first three rounds.

The development of football in Yemen is often thought to be held by back many of Yemen's internal problems such as terrorist attack threats, political tension between the North and South, an unstable economy, and a high illiteracy rate.[5]

The Yemeni national team has never won a championship, though it includes several renowned Arab players, including striker Ali Al-Nono who is the highest goal-scorer for the Yemeni League and has played in the top division of Bahrain and Syria.

Early Beginnings

Popularity

Despite boasting a population of over 20,000,000 inhabitants, Yemen has only 9,200 registered players.[6] Many of the clubs in the Yemeni League offer free admission to their matches, but despite this incentive attendance is declining and support is waning.

Broadcasting

While football is the most popular sport in Yemen, its domestic league is overshadowed by the more popular European leagues of Spain's La Liga which Yemenis prefer to watch and support.[7]

Civil unrest (2015-present)

Due to the Yemeni Civil War (2015–present), football in Yemen has stood at a standstill at a professional level.[8] The Yemeni League hasn't been active since 2014 despite the national team playing in competitions. It is unlikely that football in Yemen will continue professionally in the near future however popularity among locals in amateur matches still thrive.[9][10]

National team

Yemen's greatest football achievement is qualifying for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.[11][12]

See also

References
  1. Ghosh, Bobby (2010-12-02). "Yemen: Can Soccer Solve a Separatist Problem? - TIME". Content.time.com. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  2. "Football and its political effects in Yemen :: Total Football Magazine - Premier League, Championship, League One, League Two, Non-League News". Totalfootballmag.com. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  3. "Yemeni Football and Identity Politics | Middle East Institute". Mei.edu. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  4. Almasri, Omar (2012-05-21). "The State Of Football In The Yemen". Sabotage Times. Archived from the original on 2013-12-04. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  5. "Football and its political effects in Yemen :: Total Football Magazine - Premier League, Championship, League One, League Two, Non-League News". Totalfootballmag.com. Retrieved 2014-01-03.
  6. "Yemen: country information". FIFA.com. Retrieved 2014-01-18.
  7. "Football and its political effects in Yemen :: Total Football Magazine - Premier League, Championship, League One, League Two, Non-League News". Totalfootballmag.com. Retrieved 2014-01-18.
  8. Almasri, Omar. "Yemen Has Been Ruined By War, But Its Soccer Program Is Still Kicking". Deadspin. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  9. "The long struggle for Yemen's footballers". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  10. "Asian Cup 2019: Does Yemen's Jan Kocian have the toughest job in world football?". 7 January 2019. Retrieved 13 March 2019 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  11. "Soccer-Big stage no problem for Asian Cup debutants Yemen: asst coach". 6 January 2019. Retrieved 13 March 2019 – via uk.reuters.com.
  12. "Yemen's long road to the 2019 Asian Cup". The National. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
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