El Clásico: Yemen's Sports Scene Engages Despite War (Special Report)

The El Clásico match between the two giants of the Spanish league (Barcelona and Real Madrid) this Sunday evening has become a widely impactful event in the Yemeni sports community, for football fans, and for users of digital platforms who have shown their engagement despite the state of war in Yemen.

The impact of El Clásico was not limited to the sports community; it extended to other sectors as well. Hundreds of pages with various focuses are using it to publish details about the match and players, launch competitions for correct predictions, and try to leverage the engagement with the match to boost activity on inactive pages.

While Yemenis have not forgotten the war their country is experiencing on multiple fronts, especially in Taiz, they have tried to bring a smile to their faces and unleash their sporting spirit.

Sports journalist Bashir Sinan wrote jokingly: "I have heard of patience... I am patience itself, but can patience be shaken? You are the ones who came to Camp Nou, and you must bear the result tonight." He invited followers to predict the score.

The brief post by sports journalist Sinan on his Facebook account received widespread interaction from followers and the sports community, who responded to his post by writing their predictions for the match result.

Sports journalist Majed Al-Tayashi wrote about the possibility of the Royal's goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, missing El Clásico after the club announced he was ill, quoting Mario Cortegana:  "Thibaut Courtois wants to play in El Clásico today despite Real Madrid's statement. Courtois is optimistic about his health and hopes to join the squad individually."

Sports journalist Ahmed Al-Dhamri surveyed his followers' opinions, saying: "Let's see the state of  Real and Barcelona fans before the match, what's  their mood and who do they predict will win?".

Some followers predicted a Barcelona win after the announcement of the absence of Madrid's goalkeeper Courtois, whom they considered "half of Real." With his absence, they hoped the result would be light on the Royal club. Meanwhile, others held on to their hopes for a win for the team after its improved performance in recent matches.

The Royal club said that Courtois is missing tonight's match between Real Madrid and Barcelona in the tenth round of the Spanish league at the last minute due to a cold. Ilia Voloshyn has been called up to replace him.

After their 2-1 loss to their neighbors Atlético Madrid on September 20, the Royal club managed to win all subsequent matches, defeating Villarreal and Sevilla in La Liga, and winning against Roma and Leipzig in the Champions League.

On the other hand, the Catalan team is having a great season, having secured a perfect record in the league with 27 points from 9 matches, winning twice in the Champions League, and only faltering in the third-round match against Paris Saint-Germain.

According to statistics, the two teams have met in 264 matches across all competitions, with each side securing 106 victories and 52 encounters ending in a draw. The Royal club has a slight edge in goals scored (447 goals for Real Madrid compared to 438 for the Blaugrana).