Wednesday February 9, 2005

Abnet, Asheber at loggerheads

The row between Saint George chairman and the Ethiopian Football Federation [EFF] led by the Normalization Committee has reached climax as the two parties are rumored to have declared war on each other.

According to Athena, the disagreement arose after Abnet Gebremeskel, chairman of Saint George Board of Directors and the closest business partner of Saudi tycoon Sheik Mohammed Al-Amoudi, requested receipt for the 974,000 birr the tycoon and Abnet’s number of companies gave as sponsorship for the hosting of the 2004 CECAFA Cup.

The Dr. Asheber Woldegiorgis led Normalization Committee is believed to have forwarded the receipt on four occasions with all four having mistakes. This, according to Athena, has soured the two parties most envied relationship, a serious matter that could hurt the country’s football, which has been on the rise after a successful hosting and winning of the CECAFA tournament in December 2004.

Al-Amoudi’s three sister companies: Pepsi-Cola, Pharmacure and National Oil paid 480,000 birr as sponsorship and 294,000 birr for advertising these companies. With 150,000 birr for the special magazine issue of the tournament and an additional 50,000 birr for uniforms, the receipt of the total amount of 974,000 birr seems a hard task for the concerned body to produce. Athena also reported that the Normalization Committee tried several times to contact Abnet in person but all efforts have been unsuccessful.

Saint George showed their bitterness against the EFF, refusing to appear for a general meeting to select two representatives who will deliver the new drafted rules and regulations to the FIFA headquarters in Zurich. “It is none of our business to dwell on the federation’s day to day activities,” was the reaction from the club’s office.

Following this development, the transfer of Sebsebe Sheger, one of the stars of the 2004 CECAFA Cup, fell through. Many Saints supporters now accuse Dr. Asheber for intentionally delaying the approval of their new signing, who has already paid the buyout fee to his former club Nyala and the EFF. Insiders told reporters that Sebsebe’s release is just waiting for Dr. Asheber’s approval with the player already started training with his new club. Some commented that delaying Sebsebe’s release is retaliation by the Normalization Committee chairman for the Saints failure to attend the meeting.

What is surprising is that Saint George’s fans have shown their displeasure on their recent hero Dr. Asheber calling him names despite what he achieved for the country’s football in so short a time, though the Saints heavyweights were the ultimate supporters of his cause. Bringing these gentlemen together for a round table talk may not be a gigantic task if both parties are willing to settle their disagreements in a proper manner.

Tirunesh trails Ejegayehu in world rankings as Haile drops out

After putting up superb performances in the last three weeks rounding things off with the first world record of the 2005 indoor athletics season, Tirunesh Dibaba made significant gains in the latest IAAF World Rankings released Monday, January 31.

Tirunesh, 19, ran 14:32.93 to earn 1357 points and set a new mark in the 5000m at the Boston Reebok Indoor Games on January 29. The Olympic Bronze medalist overtook her compatriot Meseret Defar and the Kenyan duo of Isabella Ochichi and Edith Masai to rise into 2nd place in the Women’s 5000–10,000m Event Rankings behind her older sister Ejegayehu Dibaba.

In the Women’s Overall Rankings, Tirunesh stepped up seven places to 15th, while Ejegayehu also improved one spot to 12th after finishing second in Boston with 14:58.25 earning 1269 points.

In the Men’s 5000–10,000m Event Rankings, Ethiopia’s Sileshi Sihine dropped two places to 4th allowing Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya and fellow countryman Gebre-Egziabher Gebremariam to move to 2nd and 3rd respectively, while Haile Gebrselassie dropped out of the Event Rankings released last week.

With Haile’s performance from last year’s Boston Indoor Games no longer counting for the Rankings due to the 365-day-rule, the former Olympic and World champion only has five results from the past year which can be credited to his 5000–10,000m Event Rankings; therefore Haile loses his 5th place and allows the rest of the field to move up a spot.

Other Africans who made gains in the latest event rankings are Namibia’s Agnes Samaria, who set a national record when she clocked the fastest time in the Women’s 800m in Stuttgart. The 32-year-old ran the third fastest time in the world this season with 2:00.15 earning 1289 points that moved her up four places to 11th.

In the sprint events, Nigeria’s Deji Aliu moved up one place to 14th in the 100m event rankings by finishing in a modest 5th place in the 60m dash in Stuttgart with 6.63 seconds and collecting 1196 points.

For the remainder of the indoor season, the IAAF World Rankings will be published weekly as usual.

Famous pair of siblings home at last

The most famous pair of siblings in Ethiopian soccer since the 3rd African nation’s cup winners Luciano and Italo Vassalo, Ermias and Solomon Wondimu returned home after their long stay in Australia where they are leading a successful business life for the past two decades.

Luciano captained the national side that won the country’s first and only African Nations Cup trophy in 1961 held in Addis Ababa while Italo is still considered by many As the country’s most talented winger.

Ermias, one of Ethiopia’s all time strikers with powerful header, volley and long-range shooting, together with his younger brother Solomon, a muscular and fast winger, defected on their way to a continental match against Egypt in 1986 before migrating to Australia.

The sons of the former Electric coach Wondimu Bekele, the brothers were popular for their performances both at the club and national levels. Ermias was a formidable striker for Medin while Solomon was a sensational right winger in the then Maritime.

The two former football stars now turned businessmen in Australia, are believed to be in the country for a six-week family gathering, friendship get-together vacation before flying back to the Kangaroo land which they now call their home.

With the European New Year, Ethiopian X-Mas and Epiphany falling close to each other, many former national football stars jetted into the country and have since left in last two months. The famous Saint George players Ayaya Arega and Sebsebe Haileselassie now equally famous in the US should have long returned to the US except they have kept changing flight schedules to fill their thirst for their native air.

Meanwhile, Gola Kidane, former Air Force and Saint George defensive midfielder returned to Atlanta, USA after a four-week vacation and the opening of his new restaurant in the vicinity of the National Theater. Gola who had s short spell with the national team has been in US for more than a decade and is the owner of one of the busiest pastries in Arat Kilo locality.

Also from the US is the former Public Transport player Woldie Woldeamanuel, the younger brother of the famous Saint George and national team midfielder Gebru. Woldie is currently the Washington Ethiopian community football team coach and according to reports, will sojourn in the capital city for the next three weeks.

World football stars on parade in Addis Ababa

On the occasion of the Bob Marley’s 60th birthday celebration the Ethiopian national team will on Wednesday February 9 take on a team of collected world stars at the Addis Ababa stadium.

Though it was highly publicized that big name stars such as three-time World Footballer of the Year Zinedine Zidane, reigning footballer of the year Ronaldinho and others would be in Ethiopia to pay respect to the reggae legend Bob Marley, but that could not be achieved due to their respective club fixtures.

However, the team which will be led by former FIFA, CAF and UEFA player of the year George Weah, will have its share of top international stars that will grace the encounter this week against the Abraham Teklehaimanot led team. Abraham currently coaches Ethiopian Coffee who are having a bad patch in the premier league this season.

Comprising most of the CECAFA Cup winning squad who are in Addis Ababa teams, the Ethiopian side began camping this weekend with the league matches not suspended.

Many world-renowned players are expected for the dream friendly on Wednesday. To join Weah, who has started campaign to be Liberian president, are Bernard Mendi, Mohamed Kallon, Oliver Kapo, Pascal Fendiano, Mamdu Nyang, Claude Makelele, Jerome Alonso, Lilian Thuram, Bernard Lama, Amara Simba and Solomon Olombe.

22nd Highland Rally kicks-off Friday

The 22nd edition of the famous Ethiopian Highland Rally kicks-off Friday, February 11 for its three days adventure around the outskirts of the capital city in the Eastern Shoa surroundings after a two-week delay.

According to Tsega Kumelachew, marketing and public relations officer of the Ethiopian Motor Sport Association, the delayed highland rally begins on Friday comprising 16 cars. He told Capital Sport that the reason for the unprecedented two weeks delay of the pre-arranged schedule was the two days heavy rain which swept away the already paved race route and covered with mud, the worst enemy of race cars, caused by the overflow of the Koka River.

“Though the delay was due to hard to challenge natural causes, the Ethiopian Motor Sport Association regrets this and apologies to the fans,” said Tsega, the former TV sport commentator and now the association’s spokesperson.

When the three-day highland rally kicks-off Friday, the hard working pilots together with their highly focused co-pilots are expected to cover 273km in the first day. And on the second day, the toughest stage, which covers 535km before attacking the third and final stage of 419 km on Sunday. The Ethiopian Motor Sport Association strong partner MOHA Soft Drinks is the main sponsor of the big event.

Kemal: Second leg will be difficult

Kemal Mohammed, coach of the reigning Ethiopian premier league champions Awasa Kenema on returning home from his team’s first-ever continental match, told reporters that the second leg encounter will not be easy.

Speaking to Athena, Kemal said, despite losing the first leg to Sudan’s Al-Hilal by a narrow 2-1 margin with an away goal advantage, the second leg match this coming weekend would be very difficult.

According to him, the Sudanese side has a strong financial backing and a splendid stadium as well as a collection of professional players from Mozambique, Egypt and Nigeria who are led by Tunisian coaches.

“Having such a strong squad [Al-Hilal] it is hard to predict victory in the second leg, despite the fact that it will be played in front of our supporters,” underlined Kemal.

In his interview with Athena, Kemal, without using the customary “God knows” phrase that is popular among Ethiopian footballers, gave credit to his players’ dedication and confidence rather than individual efforts despite the loss in Khartoum.

“Playing a 3-2-4-1 formation, it was very difficult to break Al-Hilal defense so we switched to a more attacking formation [3-5-2] from which we secured the consolation goal that may profit us in the return leg, most likely to be in Addis,” said Kemal, who is the first coach to steer a regional team to the premier league title.

Many see the Awasa Kenema coach’s comments of the second leg to be more of fear than  “football results are hard to predict” claim. Currently sixth in the premier league with 15 points and two games in hand, these people believe that the team’s performance is not as good as last season and are not capable of retaining the premier league title.

Past experiences in continental football have also shown that a narrow defeat away may not mean mission accomplished. As recently as last season Ethiopian Coffee returned home with the same score line against Ugandan side Express only to settle for a goalless draw in the return leg in Addis and out of the CAF Cup.

Thus Awasa Kenema and Kemal need to prepare very well if they want their participation in the continental competition to last a little bit longer this season, probably to the next round. The club’s decision to want the match played at its home ground in Awasa would have been a good omen for the team and its strong supporters, but unfortunately, the Awasa stadium is not up to international standard and is unlikely to be the venue of the match, which leaves the Addis Ababa stadium. 

NC send draft to FIFA without regions assertion

When FIFA told the leaders of the Ethiopian Football Federation [EFF] to hand over to the Normalization Committee (NC) or face a two-year ban from all international competitions, it seemed we have seen the last of the power struggle after the latter assumed leadership.

After successfully hosting and winning the 28th edition of the annual CECAFA Cup, the Normalization Committee is believed to now be in a stronger position no one dares to challenge. And Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s presence at the Sheraton victory celebration party was considered the final straw to bury the hatchet; for the country’s football loving fans, peace has been achieved at last.

However, the latest development surrounding the EFF shows that the ‘giant hand’ is still fighting hard to the extent of disrupting the regional federations’ president national assembly called a week earlier to share ideas and discuss on the newly prepared EFF rules and regulations before it is sent to the world football governing body for review and assertion.

Though the Normalization Committee President Dr. Asheber Woldegiorgis was seen shaking hands with the PM and beaming with smile after the CECAFA Cup victory, he seems short of strength to mobilize all the regional federations’ presidents behind his FIFA instituted leadership. At the meeting called on Sunday, January 30, only football federation presidents of four regions: Dire Dawa, Oromia, Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples’ and Somali took part, while the majority stayed away.

No one believed their absence to be of any plausible excuse except it is a preplanned, well-executed joint opposition against the Normalization Committee currently enjoying the helm of affairs. Some sources, who recalled how those regional presidents always made it to any assembly meeting even within a short two days notice, suggested it may be the hand of the Deputy Youth, Sports and Culture Minister Melaku Petros, who was also believed to be the troubling hand in the feud that made FIFA threaten to suspend Ethiopia.

The Normalization Committee members have also accused the ministry headed by Ambassador Teshome Toga for failing to mobilize the regional federations’ presidents for this national call for the future of Ethiopian football. Since the deputy minister was never seen taking part in the victory celebration parties, some took it as a sign of disagreement and “all is not yet over”.

Nevertheless, the Normalization Committee decided to send the new draft rules and regulations to FIFA on time rather than give the regions another chance, which the Oromia Football Federation president had suggested.

“Since many of the concerned bodies discussed and commented on the new draft we decided to send it to FIFA for its approval,” said an angry Dr. Asheber.

Coffee slips as Saints rise to top

After a draw and three defeats, Ethiopian Coffee slipped from the top of the premier league table to third allowing arch-rival Saint George to move top for the first time this season.

Winning the Addis Ababa City Football championship before this season began, head coach Abraham Teklehaimanot, who was appointed in the winter season, is now oblivious of what is really happening around him.

After his team’s triumph in October last year, Abraham said, “We are becoming a strong side and on the way for further strength.” But four months later his team that topped the table before the six weeks break called by the EFF for the CECAFA Cup, is slipping down after some dreadful performances both home and away. Coach Abraham now blames everything around him including himself for the team’s dismal performance so far.

In Sunday’s away match against Trans Ethiopia in Adigrat, Coffee took the lead before Geresu Shemena scored the equalizer for the home side two minutes before the break and double strikes from Medhine Tadesse in the second half ended Coffee’s hopes of leaving with an away point. The win takes Trans second on the table.

Having coach Tsegaye Kidanemariam, who was appointed after Gebremedin Haile resigned, Trans’ progress in the league is a thing of concern for the clubs in Addis Ababa who are swimming in tons of birr compared to the regional clubs. With 27 squad members Abraham’s cry over the absence of his injured midfielder Mesfin Damtew (Mita) is seen as joke. A home defeat at the hands of minnows Harar Brewery is the turning point for many of the club’s supporters.

Meanwhile, the club’s Manager Sentayehu Bekele has refused to comment on the current patch the club is facing to bring to terms what the fans are already experiencing.

As Coffee continues to entangle itself in its own mess, arch-rival Saint George, who have be going strong after the six weeks break, moved top of the league after a 1-0 home win against long forgotten rival Defense Force. The long-awaited Addis derby ended in more of a physical contest than displaying techniques, tactics and the art of football. It took 33 minutes before CECAFA Cup hero Debrom Hagos put the home side in front with a shot from the edge of the box after Defense failed to successfully clear Ermias Kidanu’s long cross from the right.

Except two long-range efforts from Anteneh Alamerew that were comfortably saved by Deyas Adunya, nothing convincing came from Defense. Thanks to the referee, Defense would have been reduced to 10 men earlier in the game after defensive midfielder Theodros Berhanu woeful tackle on a Saints player.

Champions Awasa Kenema have two games in hand after playing their first continental match last weekend in Sudan. Trans Ethiopia, Mugher Cement and Electric all have played one game less while the rest have played 10 matches from which Saint George sits at the top with 20 points followed by Trans [19], and Coffee with 17 points in third while both Defense Force and Mugher Cement lie fourth and fifth respectively with 16 points each.

Arbaminch, runner-ups as recent as two seasons ago, are bottom of the table with two points from two draws and eight defeats. Adama Kenema, who have struggled under former Saint George coach Seyoum Kebede, is second from bottom with just five points.

In today’s big clash, reigning champions Awasa Kenema tackle Saint George at the Addis Ababa stadium right after the encounter between Ethiopia Banks and Methara Sugar at 2:00 pm. Ethiopian Coffee travel to Assela to take on Mugher Cement while struggling Arbaminch Textile host Defense. Wonji Sugar visit Adama Kenema as Harar Brewery entertain Guna Trading.

Haile signs for three years with London

The world’s greatest ever distance runner Haile Gebrselassie has signed a three-year deal with the Flora London Marathon. After successfully coming through a Half Marathon test in Almeria, Spain, yesterday, it is all systems go for Gebrselassie to compete in the 25th anniversary of the Marathon on 17 April 2005 – as well as 2006 and 2007. “If I didn’t think I could win, I would not be here,” said Gebrselassie who has expressed an interest in adding the Marathon World record to his collection. “There are a lot of fantastic runners in the race, but I shall be doing my utmost to upset them.”