Tuesday December 30, 2003

Coffee striker Hussein returns home from exile

Anwar leaves for Yemen

By Michael Samson

Former Ethiopian national youth team and Ethiopian Coffee striker Hussein Seman returned home after two years of self imposed exile in a small Argentinean town called Salsa.

Hussein, member of the squad that went to Argentina to take part in the world youth championships in the year 2001, refused to return to Ethiopia along with two of his teammates after the matches were over. When the final call to go home was made Coffee’s Hussein, Saint’s Ismael Abubaker and Medhin’s goalkeeper were missing from the list of players who left for Salsa.

Ismael Abubaker returned after a year’s exile and joined his former club Saint George to raise last season’s Ethiopian premier league championship. A year later came Hussein who, according to a local weekly sports newspaper is ready to join his former club Coffee in the near future.

In other news, the defending champions Saint George have brought two professional players from Africa’s soccer leading country Cameroon. The two professionals, Majona Bertrand has arrived on Monday 22nd, followed by the second player on Thursday.
Though the Ethiopian Football Federation ruling limits the number of international players on the field at a time to three, the professional player’s number in Saint George has reached four.

Eric, last season’s successful attacker, who scored the winning goal at the premier league final match against rival Ethiopian Coffee, may be the lamb to be sacrificed for the newly arriving Cameroonian. Eric is not in good shape due to his injury at the beginning of the season.

Also on the move is Anwar easing, from Coffee to Yemen’s Al quasar club. After a two years stay in Yemen, Anwar returned home and joined Coffee for a said 50,000 Birr. But out of shape and Coffee miserable, Anwar made a second trip to Yemen to join Yordanos Abay and Electric’s Ibrahim Hassen.

The other veteran player on the move is Tekle Berhane who now is rumored to travel to his former club Guna Trade after months in Ethiopian Banks club

Seyoum Abate appointed for Ethiopia Bank

Ethiopian banks F.C who hammered the defending champions Saint George 1-0 on Wednesday appointed the notorious Seyoum Abate who relegated Berhanena Selam F.C. not to a lower division but to its final resting place.

After Worku Dergeba’s resignation Banks gave the responsibility of running the club to four former players Girma Tsegaye, Belachew, Yehune and Alemseged who took up the club to three wins out of four matches; two of them against Saint George and Coffee. Many gave credit for those caretaker coaches and assumed they may stay for this season. The players and technique committee members were said to have a good relation with the coaching body, which is usual in a club where coaches come and go almost every year.

Suddenly, without the consent of the technique committee Seyoum Abate came out of the blue to take the rein for his second spell. The players were said to be shocked when they heard who is coming to lead them, as title contender in the current season.

“In this particular time when things are getting better than ever and team spirit is at its highest, bringing Seyoum into the picture could rock the boat,” commented critics in the soccer circle.
“Seyoum is by far better than most of the country’s coaches, but he is an in-and-out Ethiopian Coffee at heart, and the only time he really gives it all for his club is when the match is against Saint George, where he actually made a name as a player but never got a chance to coach,” said another one who claimed to have known him for a long time. Now he’s got two enemies: Saint George and Ethiopian coffee. “I want to watch them play against each other,” commented another one.

Out of job since the end of last season, Seyoum now faces the hard task of motivating and creating team spirit that the four men coaching staff has not succeeded doing. The Saints and coffee already defeated at the hands of Banks, Seyoum needs a new adventure to win the players and sport committees’ confidence so that he may stay longer as Banks’ head coach. It is a tough task to coach Banks where the likes of Mengistu Worku, Asrat Haile, Wondimagegn Kebede, Asmelash and Negussie failed to survive more than a single season.

Ashenafi was the only coach to come and go as his liking until he resigned for good at the end of last season. And now the fact that Seyoum has taken up the appointment without any vacancy announcement has baffled many. But it is said that he has already signed a two-year agreement with a monthly salary of 3000 birr.

Well Seyoum now is walking on single wire. But many fear for Banks F.C. recalling Berhanena Selam’s disappointing fate.
Seyoum Abate appointed for Ethiopia Banks.
 

ETHIOPIA WON

But the score line doesn’t tell all the truth

 For a change it was a storming attacking football that the Ethiopian Olympic team displayed at the home match against visiting Uganda. Hard to say but had Ashenafi Kebede, the play maker not been red carded before half time, the final result could have had a better picture.

 Seyoum Abate came with 3-4-3 formations an ideal choice for a home game. When Andualem run over the visitor’s defense on his very first ball but sent it wide, it became clear that the squad were ready for a win by all means. Demis’ long strike which the goalkeeper saved from the goal’s mouth was fantastic. Sixteen minutes into the game Tafesse scored the winning goal so perfect from its start. Ashenafi made a pass to Yared who squared it to Tafesse for his clinical finish. Then, started the all out attack only to get ugly when the Kenyan match official sent out the midfield anchor Ashenafi for a silly incident.

 Back from the changing room the formation changed to 3-4-2, but still better in attack than the Ugandan Olympic team that is comprised of last season’s East African confederation cup champions.

 Getu Teshome, Hyder Mensur, Demis Nuri and Ashenafi Girma made the midfield hard to penetrate while the defense Degu Debebe, Daniel and Ahmed Ibrahim were busy helping the midfielders rather than their idle defensive roles. The only time the visitors came into the Ethiopian half of the field, was just ten minutes before the first half whistle.

 “Where have they been so far?” asked a veteran spectator who told stories from the 1980’s Ethiopian soccer chapter. “I never saw such a goal so neatly executed since Mulugeta Woldeyes’ goal against Ugandan national team in the East African championships held in Ethiopia.”

“Oh! At least, then they put up some challenge, said another.”

 The formation and team spirit, recently all time best Seyoum, has now to keep this atmosphere for the coming clash against Angola here in Addis. The next decisive match against Angola is to take place on the first week of the new season. In the mean time Morocco group favorite went a goalless draw against Angola in Luanda. Morocco is on top of the group with 4 points and 4 goals followed by Angola with a goal difference.

Ethiopia stood third having three points while Uganda not yet to win a point either at home or away is bottom of the group.

 In other group matches Senegal beat Egypt 2-0 in Dakar while the reigning Olympic champions Cameroon crushed Mali 2-0 in Younde to lead the group with six points.

 The 1996 Atlanta Olympic champion Nigeria snatched an away single important point from group contender Tunisia in Bauchi after the game ended in a 1-1 draw. Ghana is leading group four with 4 points closely followed by South Africa & Algeria who have three points each. Zambia is bottom of the table having a single point.

 Coffee came on top of archrival Saint George

Electric Vs Banks today

 Saint George lost for the second time running when Ethiopian Banks nailed them 1-0 on Wednesday. The defending champions boasting with a foreign manager and professional players surrendered to the normally shaking when facing the Saints, the Ethiopia Banks to nose dive seventh in the league table with only 10 points out of possible 21.

 Banks destructive football focused more on physical contact, which frustrated the champions with yellow cards thrown at them at every move they made, and finally got Getu off the field. The Saints’ midfielder general Getu Teshome got his marching order before the break for his upper cut blow failed to meet target.

 Banks took control in most of the second half on which Menaleshoa Bogale scored a well-orchestrated winning goal twenty minutes before the final whistle. What Banks strong man Edilu did in the midfield crippled the champion’s center field play to finally earn the banks three points at home.

 Saint George manager Hans is yet to show some changes in the club’s performance. It may take longer to get the players to adopt to a new tactical play, but when no other team is practicing tactical play, how the Saints who have the best squad lose games in succession, ask many of their fans. This is the third defeat in seven matches and some club fans have already started longing for the good old days.

 Medin seemed to revive after a 1-0 win against the champions two weeks ago. But over the weekend they traveled to Assela to surrender to Mugher cement F.C. But why Medin who has Kassahun Teka as a head coach and an instructor with a strong corporate support couldn’t manage a consistent team, is strange. Where did that team spirit which broke the Saint’s determination evaporated to?  Mugher cement became the season surprise package to win five out of the seven matches of the premier league. Two decades on the run, head coach Sewnet Bishaw might have learnt some tricks to help him stay at the top, though it is still too early in the season to conclude anything. 

 Ethiopian coffee defeated host Wonji sugar 3-2 to climb third on the table. Former Coffee coach Abraham Mebratu’s squad who defeated Saint George in the season opening match fought to share a point but coffee defended well for the important three points. Samson, Ashnafi and Fasika Sima were the scorers to put Coffee above rival Saint George for the first time this season.

 Electric who are very excited with the news of the return of the Italian coach Petreli, traveled to Harar to crash hosts Harar Brewery 3-1. Former Electric coach Wondimagegn, who failed to tell his defenders to keep an eye on Sunday’s Olympic team hero, paid dearly when Tafesse stroked twice leaving the home team frustrated.

The seventh week schedule is to start today featuring Electric Vs Banks at 2:00 PM followed by Medin and Nyala’s encounter at 4:00 PM in Addis Ababa.