Field of dreams … Yemeni football teams make Asia Cup

A“miracle” winning streak has sent Yemen’s senior and youth football teams to the AFC Asian Cup, bringing a welcome distraction to a divided country.

Qualification is a first for the senior team. It is also a rare achievement for the under-16s, who still train in Yemen.

“Qualification has brought Yemenis together – they’re doing us proud,” said Ahmed Sabahi, a fan in the southern port city of Aden.

“All Yemenis are behind their team.”

Yemen’s war, in which pro-government forces supported by a Saudi-led coalition are fighting against Iranbacked Houthi rebels, entered its fourth year last month.

The conflict has left up to 10,000 people dead, tens of thousands wounded and created what the UN says is the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with high levels of diseases such as cholera and diphtheria.

“We hope the team will honour Yemen and give Yemenis some relief,” Mr Sabahi said.

The senior team beat Nepal 2-1 on March 27, reaching next year’s Asian Cup, which will be contested in January and February in the UAE. It is the first time Yemen has qualified for the tournament.

The under-16 tournament is to take place in Malaysia in September and October.

To build the youth team, selectors travelled the length of the country, even visiting the war zones and parts controlled by rival factions. Ranked 125th in the world by the sport’s governing body Fifa, Yemen’s senior team has never won a match in the Gulf