SANAA: Yemeni Sports Minister Hamud Mohammed Ubad has sacked the country’s chess governing body after the national team played in a tournament against Israel in Belarus, press reports said on Wednesday.
The minister also banned the Yemeni players who played against the Israelis in Minsk from representing their country again in the future.
"This was an individual action contrary to the policy of Yemen, which refuses any normalization with Israel," Ubad said, adding that players of any sport must withdraw if they are drawn against Israelis.
Ubad said the Yemeni players had now withdrawn from the tournament and were returning home.
The Yemeni committee against normalization with Israel expressed indignation that the team had been drawn against the Jewish state.
