Yemen have had their “fingerprints” on the Gulf Cup tournament but are now hoping for a “fruitful” outing in the 24th edition of the prestigious regional tournament, coach Sami Hasan al-Hadi said ahead of their campaign opener.
Yemen has never won a Gulf Cup match despite having played 27 times in the tournament, but al-Hadi seemed confident on the eve of their first group match against former champions the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
“Our goal is to register our maiden victory in the Gulf Cup this time to make it a fruitful affair,” said al-Hadi at the press conference yesterday.
His confidence stems from the two victories and four draws that the 141st ranked team registered in their qualification campaign for the 2019 Asian Cup.
“We have our fingerprints in the tournament as a participating team and as hosts. We have played some good games in previous editions of the tournaments, we have some good drawn matches and some good memories, but we are still looking for our maiden win in the tournament and we are fully ready for it this time. We aim to provide a good level of football and achieve the first victory that delights everyone in our country.”
Yemen, who are with hosts Qatar, former champions Iraq and the UAE in Group A, will start their campaign against the UAE at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium today.
“We are suffering. There is no football league for the last five years due to the war. This has affected our performance and preparations but with the emergence of some young players, we have coped well. Our ambitions are big and we are looking for a positive result,” the coach said.
“We have been benefited from participating in the West Asian Championship and the Asian qualifiers, and I expect a positive participation and this is what we all hope. My team has played 10 games and it is in a developing stage,” the 62-year-old Yemeni said.
Talking about playing in a tough group, he said: “We know we are against some good teams. We have played against some strong teams in the Asian qualifiers and in the West Asia tournament, and we respect all the teams. We are quite well prepared and ready for the first victory here.”
“I believe we have a good team, with a handful of young promising players breaking through, that can be a platform to build on for the future,” the coach said.
Yemen were first to arrive in Doha on November 21 from Bahrain, where they played in an Asian Qualifiers group D tie against Singapore, suffering a 2-1 defeat.
Yemen team will feel the absence of their two key players – striker Mohsen Qarawi and defender Ammar Homsan – who were ruled out of tournament before the team had their first training session at the Qatar University Stadium.
However, Yemeni captain and goalkeeper Salem Awad also echoed his coach’s views as he said his teammates are well prepared this time.
“We hope to achieve our first win in the tournament. We are in this tournament for the ninth time. We have learned from the past participation and we are well prepared mentally and physically for the tournament,” Awad said.
“We were so happy to make history for the right reasons by qualifying for the last Asian Cup, and we hope we can start this campaign well to bring cheer to our country by qualifying for Asian Cup 2023 in China.”
Talking about the match against 67th ranked UAE, who have lost two World Cup qualifier matches against Thailand and Vietnam recently, Awad said: “As a team we respect them, they are two-time champions. The UAE team has gone through some ups and downs in the recent period, but they are a good side. We also have our ups and downs, but it did not affect us adversely. We are a young side and ready for the show.”
On the presence of the Yemeni public in Qatar, coach al-Hadi said: “I welcome everyone here in Doha. We hope we have a big presence of fans and it is a pleasure to play in front of our fans in Qatar. I hope our fans come and support us and help us put pressure on our opponents.”
He also praised the atmosphere surrounding the tournament in terms of accommodation and training fields, stressing that it is the best.
Yemen has not only played in the Gulf Cup but has also hosted the 20th edition in 2010 which was won by Kuwait with a 1-0 extra time win over Saudi Arabia. It was Kuwait’s 10th title and the edition celebrated the 40th anniversary of the cup.
Yemen coach Sami Hasan al-Hadi (left), and captain and goalkeeper Salem Awad address a press conference on the eve of their Gulf Cup match against the UAE. PICTURE: Shemeer Rasheed
