Yemen Scores Positive Press With International Soccer Tournament

A soccer tournament with teams from eight Persian Gulf states ended well for Yemen, a New York Times article says, even though its national team lost in the first round.

It was “a concerted effort by Yemen’s government to change the country’s image as an insurgent battleground and wellspring of global terrorism plots, including an attempt in October to send explosive packages to the United States,” the story says.

The well-guarded two-week event was the result of months of lobbying from Yemen’s president, according to the article, to get “reluctant Arab leaders to send their teams to a country that has become known for bloodshed and insurrection.”