MALE, October 24, 2007
Yemen's national football team is scheduled to arrive here early Friday to play against Maldives on October 28th in the preliminary round of the WCQ.Football Association of Maldives(FAM)' General Secretary Abdul Hameed Abdul Ghafoor (Addo) yesterday said that there will be 20 players and 10 officials in the Yemen contingent.Maldives lost 3-0 to Yemen in the home-away leg; the only chance for Maldives to go to the second round is by defeating Yemen with a four goals difference during the home match.The heavy defeat was blamed on Maldives' players' poor health while playing at a height of 2,700 metres above sea level; Maldives' average height is 3 metres above sea level.Maldives' national team's physician Ahmed Shakeeb yesterday said that since the Yemen team has to play at a low altitude in Maldives, they will not face the kind of health problems that affected the Maldives’ team in Yemen."They live at a high altitude and therefore their red blood cell count is also high which will help them to preserve more oxygen," said Shakeeb.He, however, said that the Yemen team may face problems with heat in Maldives. "Presently, it is cold in Yemen, so they will need to acclimatize to Maldives' hot climate for the match," Shakeeb said.Yesterday and today it has been raining constantly in the capital Male.Maldives' national team's striker Ibrahim Fazeel and midfielder Shamveel Qasim, who were earlier in injury, has joined team practice sessions giving hope to the Maldives' national team.
Yemen's national football team is scheduled to arrive here early Friday to play against Maldives on October 28th in the preliminary round of the WCQ.Football Association of Maldives(FAM)' General Secretary Abdul Hameed Abdul Ghafoor (Addo) yesterday said that there will be 20 players and 10 officials in the Yemen contingent.Maldives lost 3-0 to Yemen in the home-away leg; the only chance for Maldives to go to the second round is by defeating Yemen with a four goals difference during the home match.The heavy defeat was blamed on Maldives' players' poor health while playing at a height of 2,700 metres above sea level; Maldives' average height is 3 metres above sea level.Maldives' national team's physician Ahmed Shakeeb yesterday said that since the Yemen team has to play at a low altitude in Maldives, they will not face the kind of health problems that affected the Maldives’ team in Yemen."They live at a high altitude and therefore their red blood cell count is also high which will help them to preserve more oxygen," said Shakeeb.He, however, said that the Yemen team may face problems with heat in Maldives. "Presently, it is cold in Yemen, so they will need to acclimatize to Maldives' hot climate for the match," Shakeeb said.Yesterday and today it has been raining constantly in the capital Male.Maldives' national team's striker Ibrahim Fazeel and midfielder Shamveel Qasim, who were earlier in injury, has joined team practice sessions giving hope to the Maldives' national team.
