Football in Yemen

Last updated

Football in Yemen
IRN-YMN 20190107 Asian Cup 26.jpg
Yemen against Iran at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup
CountryYemen
Governing body Yemen Football Association
National team(s) men's national team
Club competitions
International competitions

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

Contents

Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Yemen. [4] The Yemen national football team competes in the FIFA and AFC leagues. The country also hosts football clubs that compete nationally and internationally.

Yemen hosted the 20th Arabian Gulf Cup in Aden in 2010. Yemen 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. [2]

The Yemeni national team has never won a championship.

Popularity

Despite a population of over 20,000,000 inhabitants, Yemen has only 9,200 registered players. [5] 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. [2]

Civil unrest (2015-present)

Due to the Yemeni Civil War, football in Yemen has stood at a standstill at a professional level. [6] 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. [7] [8]

National team

Yemen's greatest football achievement is qualifying for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. [9] [10]

Football stadiums in Yemen

Note that many stadiums in Yemen are damaged because of the war.

#StadiumCityCapacityTenantsImage
1 Baradem Mukalla Stadium Mukalla 50,000 Al-Sha'ab Hadhramaut
2 Al-Wihda Stadium Zinjibar 30,000 Hassan Abyan
3Al Ulufi Stadium Al Hudaydah 10,000 Al-Hilal Al-Sahili

See also

Related Research Articles

The Iran national football team, recognised as IR Iran by FIFA, represents Iran in men's international senior football and is governed by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Football in Iran</span>

Football is the most popular sport in Iran, with wrestling and volleyball as close contenders. Football has been a part of life for Iranians for many decades now and is played in schools, streets, and football clubs nationwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Football in Lebanon</span>

Football is the most popular sport in Lebanon. It was introduced to Lebanon in the late-19th century, becoming particularly popular among teachers and students Christian schools. The Lebanese Football Association (LFA) was formed in 1933 as one of the earliest administrative bodies for association football in the Middle East. The Lebanon national team made its unofficial debut in 1935 against Romanian club CA Timișoara (T.A.C.), while their first official FIFA game was in 1940 against Mandatory Palestine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Football in Japan</span>

Football is among the most popular sports in Japan, together with baseball, tennis, golf, sumo, and combat sports. Its nationwide organization, the Japan Football Association, administers the professional football leagues, including J.League, which is considered by many the most successful football league in Asia. Japan is also the country with the most comprehensively developed football in Asia in both men and women as well as in both futsal and beach soccer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asian Football Confederation</span> International governing body for association football, beach football, and futsal

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal in most countries and territories in Asia. The AFC was formed in 1954. It has 47 members. The Asian Ladies Football Confederation (ALFC) was the section of AFC that managed women's association football in Asia. The group was independently founded in April 1968 in a meeting involving Taiwan, British Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore. In 1986, ALFC merged with AFC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AFC Champions League Elite</span> Asian association football tournament for clubs

The AFC Champions League Elite is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious club competition in Asian football, played by the national league champions of their national associations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afghanistan national football team</span> Mens association football team

The Afghanistan national football team is the national football team of Afghanistan and is controlled by the Afghanistan Football Federation. Founded in 1922, they played their first international game against Iran in Kabul, 1941. Afghanistan then joined FIFA in 1948 and the AFC in 1954, as one of the founding members. They play their home games at the Ghazi National Olympic Stadium in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. In 2013, Afghanistan won the 2013 SAFF Championship and earned the "FIFA Fair Play Award". Afghanistan has never qualified for the AFC Asian Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Lanka national football team</span> Mens national association football team representing Sri Lanka

The Sri Lanka national football team represents Sri Lanka in Association football and is administered by Football Federation of Sri Lanka, the governing body of football in Sri Lanka. They have been a member of FIFA since 1952 and a member of AFC since 1954. Sri Lanka's home stadium is the Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo. The Sri Lankan team was known as the Ceylon national football team until 1972 when Ceylon was renamed Sri Lanka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nepal national football team</span> Mens association football team

The Nepal national football team represents Nepal in International men's football, and is governed by the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA). A member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the Nepali football team plays their home games at Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yemen national football team</span> National association football team representing Yemen

The Yemen national football team represents Yemen in men's international football and is administered by the Yemen Football Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palestine national football team</span> Mens association football team

The Palestine national football team, governed by the Palestinian Football Association, represents Palestine in men's international football. The squad is under the global jurisdiction of FIFA, and is governed continentally by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Football Association of Malaysia</span> Governing body of association football in Malaysia

The Football Association of Malaysia is the national governing body of football in Malaysia, headquartered at Wisma FAM. The FAM is also one of the founding members of both the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF). It has been affiliated with FIFA since 1954. The FAM oversees the organisation and development of football and advancing the game at all levels in Malaysia, and is responsible for all aspects of the amateur and professional game in its territory. This includes the men's, women's and youth national football teams as well as the Malaysian Amateur Football League and Malaysia Premier Futsal League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soccer in Australia</span> Association football in Australia

In Australia, soccer, also known as association football, is the most played outdoor team sport, and ranked in the top ten for television audience as of 2015. The national governing body of the sport is Football Australia (FA) which comprises nine state and territory member federations, which oversee the sport within their respective region. The season in Australia is played during the summer, to avoid clashing with Australian rules football and Rugby league which dominate spectator and media interest in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Football in Saudi Arabia</span>

Football is the most popular sport in Saudi Arabia. Football in Saudi Arabia is governed by the Saudi Arabia Football Federation (SAFF). It was founded in 1956. It administers both the club competitions and the national football teams of Saudi Arabia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Football in Indonesia</span>

Association football is the most popular sport in Indonesia, in terms of annual attendance, participation and revenue. It is played on all levels, from children to middle-aged men. Liga 1, the Indonesian domestic league is popular. The national body is the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI). The Indonesian football league started around 1930 in the Dutch colonial era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Football in the Philippines</span>

Football in the Philippines is administered by the Philippine Football Federation (PFF), the governing body of football in the country.

The sport of football in the country of Jordan is run by the Jordan Football Association. The association administers the national football team as well as the Jordan League.

The sport of football in the country of Mauritania is run by the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. The association administers the national football team, as well as the Mauritanian Premier League. Football is the most popular sport in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Football in Sudan</span>

The sport of football in the East African country of Sudan is managed by the Sudan Football Association. The association administers the national football team, as well as the Premier League. The Sudan Football Association, which was founded in 1946, and FIFA affiliated in 1948, was one of the founding members of the Confederation of African Football, and continues to be a member of the Confederation. Like in many countries, football is the most popular sport also in Sudan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Omar Khribin</span> Syrian footballer (born 1994)

Omar Khribin is a Syrian professional footballer who plays as a forward or a winger for Emirati Club Al-Wahda and the Syria national team.

References

  1. Ghosh, Bobby (2 December 2010). "Yemen: Can Soccer Solve a Separatist Problem?". Time . Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 "Football and its political effects in Yemen". Total Football Magazine. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  3. Almasri, Omar (21 May 2012). "The State of Football in the Yemen". Sabotage Times. Archived from the original on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  4. "Yemeni Football and Identity Politics". Middle East Institute . Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  5. "Yemen: country information". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 9 July 2007. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  6. Almasri, Omar. "Yemen Has Been Ruined By War, But Its Soccer Program Is Still Kicking". Deadspin. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  7. "The long struggle for Yemen's footballers". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  8. "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.
  9. "Soccer-Big stage no problem for Asian Cup debutants Yemen: asst coach". 6 January 2019. Retrieved 13 March 2019 via uk.reuters.com.[ dead link ]
  10. "Yemen's long road to the 2019 Asian Cup". The National. Retrieved 13 March 2019.