By Tawfiq Ali

SANAA

After suffering four years of war and famine, Yemenis finally have something to celebrate: the qualification of their national football team for the Asian Cup, which is being held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from Jan. 5 to Feb. 1.

Dubbed the “Lions of Saba”, the team has been placed in the fourth group, where it will face off against the Iranian, Iraqi and Vietnamese teams.

On Monday, the team is slated to play its first match against Iran, which is expected by observers to be a worthy opponent.

Along with the hardships of war and poverty, the Yemeni team has recently faced a host of lesser challenges, including the suspension of the country’s national football league.

Unlike other teams taking part in the Asian Cup, the Yemeni team has had few chances to train. The team only began to prepare for the tournament on Oct. 1 of last year in Yemen’s eastern city of Mukalla.

The team was originally coached by Mohamed al-Nafii, who was later replaced by Slovakia’s Gian Kusian, who began training the team first in Saudi Arabia and later in Malaysia and the UAE.

Training was initially intended to be held in Qatar, but those plans were scrapped due to ongoing political tensions between Qatar and its Arab Gulf neighbors.

“We had hoped to train in Qatar, but we have benefited a lot from the practice matches we’ve played in Saudi Arabia and the UAE,” al-Nafii, who now serves as assistant coach, told Anadolu Agency.

“We’ve lost a couple of players to injuries, including Mohamed Ayyash and Hussein Ghazi,” he added. “But they’re in the process of recovering and we hope they’ll be ready for the championship.”

Speaking to Anadolu Agency by phone, national team player Abdul-wassei al-Matari said: “Reaching the finals is a big dream for us. Once we achieve it, we will show everyone our ability to overcome all our difficulties.”

Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country.

The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a massive air campaign -- which still remains underway -- against the rebels.