http://www.english.hadhramaut.info Yemen confirmed as 20th Gulf Championship host [The Source: www.sabanews.net - 26/12/2009] Heads of Arabian Gulf Football Associations have confirmed their full support for Yemen to host the 20th Gulf Football Championship set to take place in November 2010


The announcement came at the end of the unordinary meeting that gathered the heads of GCC and Yemeni and Iraqi football associations held on Friday in Sana'a, the Yemeni capital. The meeting approved that the tournament and all championships so forth start on November 22 and end on December 04. The event will take place in the southern  port cities of Aden, Yemen's business capital, and Abyan. The Iraqi city of Basra was approved to be the venue for 21st championship.In the meeting, Bahrain congratulated Yemen, denying it sought to be the host instead of it.Bahrain was the alternative choice for the hosting and what we wanted was to make sure that the arrangements for the event were proceeding as wanted to avoid being in a difficult situation, head of the Bahrain Football Association Ali Bin Khalifa said.Our country has been and will be in support of that the championship be held in Yemen, he said, hailing what has been achieved on preparation for it.The meeting came up with recommendations including the approval of the report of the standing committee of secretaries on preparations for the 20th GCC Football Championship.It also approved to delay the start with the article 6 calling for granting every participating team a million Saudi Riyals in airing right costs until the 22nd championship.The move was aimed at providing the Yemeni and Iraqi teams with the opportunity to take advantage of the sum to finalize their infrastructures.It, furthermore, announced full support for Qatar's bid to host the World Football Championship in 2022.At the opening of the meeting, minister of Sports and Youth Hamoud Ubad said Yemen is determined, supported by the GCC states, to make the sport event a success.Major efforts and arrangements are ongoing for the infrastructure necessary for the championship, he affirmed.Earlier prime minister Ali Muhammad Mujawar said Yemen must be ready to host the important sport event, affirming nothing can derail the project.Last week, President Ali Abdullah Saleh affirmed that doubtless Yemen can host the championship, saying arrangements were ongoing for the championship and nothing can impede the efforts to make it happen in the specified place and on the set time.In an interview with the Dubai Sport Channel, Saleh said preparing and building the infrastructure necessary for the event is underway, affirming that the central and local authorities are coordinating to make the championship a success.Yemen is happy for hosting the championship by the teams of Arabian Gulf states, he said.The current situation never means life is paralyzed and activities are derailed; and there is no force that can impact on hosting the sport event, which would, for the first time, be organized in Yemen.'What has been said and done in some channels and on websites to make the hosting appear unsuccessful are just failed attempts by those seeking dirty gains.'There are solutions to all problems and those breaking the law and trying to destabilize the nation can't meet their aim, because we are ready for every thing: to go ahead with our plans as well as tackling those subversive elements, he said.Any country has its own problems but schedules remain, he added.