Ahmed Murad (Aden, Cairo)
The terrorist Houthi militia is practicing systematic destruction and sabotage of various vital sectors in Yemen, and sports and its facilities have not been spared from violations, as they suffer from the inferno of “Houthi” terrorism.
According to Yemeni analysts, sports stadiums and clubs in Houthi-controlled areas have deviated from their normal course and turned into weapons depots, detention, interrogation and torture centers for detainees, military training grounds for terrorist elements, and other violations that fall under the description of “war crimes” against civilians.
Analysts confirmed to Al-Ittihad that Al-Houthi is working to transform youth centers and sports clubs into dens to spread extremist sectarian ideas by organizing dozens of forums and seminars that carry the inferno of sectarianism.
Ibrahim Al-Jahmi, the former Yemeni attache for expatriate affairs in Egypt and North Africa, said in statements to Al-Ittihad that the terrorist Houthi militia had committed, over the past years, dozens of crimes and violations against athletes and sports facilities in all areas under their control.
The Sana’a Human Rights Center had published a report that monitored several incidents of armed incursions carried out by the militias against many stadiums and stadiums, turning them into military barracks, prisons and secret prisons for the detention of civilians, including a stadium in Al-Bayda governorate, the sports stadium in Dhamar, and the football stadium in the capital’s secretariat.
In addition, the bombing and detonation of some stadiums, such as the Al-Saqr Club Stadium, Al-Hubaishi Stadium in Taiz, the Sports City and Al-Kibsi Stadium in Ibb, the Sports City and Al-Olafi Stadium in Al-Hodeidah, Muawiyah Stadium in Lahj, Al-Darafi Stadium, Al-Shahid Al-Ulfi Stadium, and Beit Al-Shabab in Sana’a.
Al-Jahmi said that the Houthi militia is systematically destroying and sabotaging sports facilities, and that Yemeni sports and its facilities are among the sectors most affected by Houthi terrorism. As well as many incidents of targeting, arresting and assassinating athletes.
According to the former Minister of Youth and Sports in the Yemeni government, Nayef al-Bakri, 70% of sports facilities were damaged during terrorist operations launched by the militias, in addition to the seizure of sports headquarters by their leaders and their taking as private homes for them and their families.
The leaders also seized large areas of club land, including a large area of land for the Equestrian Club in Haziz, south of Sanaa. The prominent Houthi leader in Ibb, Osama al-Hakim, damaged the floor of a stadium in the center of Ibb city, using drilling machines to set up tents in it, to hold a wedding party for one of his sons, and 25 clubs were converted into rest houses for leaders, and camps to prepare fighters.
In statements to Al-Ittihad, Yemeni political analyst Ahmed Al-Rubaizi warned of the danger of the Houthi militia’s attempts to turn youth centers and sports clubs into dens to spread sectarian ideas by organizing forums and seminars.
Al-Rubaizi pointed out that the Houthi violations against sports facilities do not depend only on destruction and sabotage, but also deliberately loot and steal the financial allocations for sports clubs, seize their money and the commercial and real estate investments they own, and confiscate funds allocated to support and care for young people to provide funding for military operations.
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