Book of the Month – When Friday Comes Football in the War Zone by James Montague – Chapter Six – Yemen

    Ancient Skyscrapers in an unchanged land; two and a half millennia of uninterrupted human habitation; Yemen, the oft-overlooked, occasionally forgotten factor in the war on terror. Moderate of faith, relaxed in views, but troubled nonetheless, beers and camping allowed.

    A nation addicted, addled by khat, the Horn of Africa’s drug of choice. A society consumed and constructed upon a bitter, green leaf.

    A blurb in Reuters, a team withdrawn for lack of funds, another trip sparked. The FA, bare bones, forced to build from the ground up

    A well-armed nation; knives and Kalashnikov’s aplenty; Islamic Tottenham versus The National, Green versus Red, chaotic coat-check for a match arranged at short notice.

    A portrait of an edgy land, one final close shave en route to the airport.

Editor’s Note - For a better feel of the book’s prose, an excerpt is available at Sabotage Times. Check it out, and get yourself a copy, it’s brilliant.