Tuesday January18, 2004

National U-17 team wait late for win

The national U-17 team scored two goals in the final 10 minutes to keep alive their hopes of a place in the African U-17 Championship final to be held in the Gambia.

The seven winners of the second round of matches will join host Gambia in a two-group tournament billed as the qualifiers that will pick the four teams to represent Africa in the FIFA World U17 Championship to be held later this year.

Ghana, a football powerhouse in Africa in the 1980s and recently in youth football winning the World U-17 Cup twice and a runner-up place, sent its U-17 team to Ethiopia for the first leg, second round qualifying match on Saturday, January 9, with the aim of snatching at least a draw without much effort.

As expected, the well-built and yet so young visitors surprised the home team not only resisting the initial 20 minutes invasion but also scoring the opener in the early minutes of the second half.

Ethiopia’s head coach Wondemagne Kebede came with a strong attack-minded squad in order to settle the two-legged encounter at home making the return leg a mere formality. However, the Ghanaian team had other plans and drew the first blood with a powerful header from their number 15 player Abubeker Abdi that silenced the whole Ethiopian crowd.

The young Ethiopian side continued to mount further pressure on their opponents who were keen on hanging unto their single goal. But took 83 minutes and countless attempts from the home team before the much-awaited equalizer came through Fuad Mohammed. When the game looked like it would end in a draw after the visitors had camped in their half to defend the 1-1 scoreline to take home for the return leg in a fortnight, the home team were given an opportunity for victory and a one-goal lead just before the final whistle went. 

Seyoum Tesfaw dribbled past the Ghanaian defense into the box to be brought down leaving the referee with no option than to point to the spot. Samuel Alebachew, who plays for Electric “B” team converted the spot kick for Ethiopia’s 2-1 victory.

Though the crowd was delighted with the performance of the team and the federation awarded the coaches and players between 500 and 1500 birr, the Ghanaian head coach David Danson told reporters that his team deserved to win.

“The referee denied us a goal while he awarded you an unfair penalty,” remarked Danson, who promised to teach the Ethiopian team a bitter lesson in the return leg on Saturday. “Be rest assured that we will crash you out of the qualification with a 4-0 home win in Accra and book our place in Gambia,” added the over confident Danson, who also agreed that Ghanaian football is on the decline.

He disclosed that he has little knowledge of Ethiopia and that is on the late Emperor Haile Selassie who championed the freedom cause in Africa together with Kwame Nkrumah, the then Ghana president.

“Though our football has nose-dived, we will not stand and watch you go to the African U-17 Championship. I have high respect for Emperor Haile Selassie, the people and the country, yet I am sure our team will crush you in the return leg,” underlined Danson.

An overjoyed Wondemagne said he was happy with the team’s performance and is ready for the second leg in Accra, but that they have to make some corrections on tactics and be physically prepared to make it to Gambia. “I am sure we will push him to swallow his words,” declared Wondemagne, who admires the quality of players he has in his squad, particularly how young the team is.

However, many have already started questioning the ages of the players in Wondemagne’s squad, whom they believe are not under the age limit, a problem they see will never have a solution. Despite this, the current crop of players in the U-17 squad is by far the nearest to the age limit and the right collection as almost all the players are new to the public. One soccer critic said that at least Wondemagne showed the way to play fair and still can come out a winner. All his predecessors might have come with some silverware but we know they never made it higher, said another.

Abebe, Masai are favorites for today’s Seville Cross

Ethiopia’s Abebe Dinkesa and Kenyan Edith Masai will start as hot favorites at the ‘23rd Cross Internacional de Itálica’ - IAAF permit – cross country meet - which will be held in Santiponce, Seville, Spain today, January 16.

The 20-year-old Dinkesa came out as a surprise winner in the Iris Lotto Belgian Cross Cup on December 19, 2004 in Brussels leaving the likes of renowned specialists such as Sergiy Lebid, Zersenay Tadesse and Paul Tergat trailing in his wake.

The talented Ethiopian, previously had won the Great Ethiopian Run that was held in Addis Ababa on November 28, after taking the silver medal in the African Games in Abuja over 10,000m to Kenya’s Charles Kamathi on July 16.

A regular training mate of Haile Gebrselassie, Dinkesa will face daunting opposition from his countryman and reigning World Junior Cross Country champion Meba Tadesse, Tanzania’s Fabiano Joseph, Kenya’s Moses Mosop and Bahrain’s Mushir Salim Jawher among others.

Meba came second last October at the Giro Al Sals in Trento in Italy 19 seconds adrift of Olympic Marathon champion Stefano Baldini. He out-sprinted Uganda’s Boniface Kiprop to take the World Junior Cross Country title last March in Brussels.

Fabiano Joseph has placed 3rd, 1st, and 2nd in his three outings this winter season on Spanish soil in Llodio on November 28, Alcobendas (December 5) and just last Sunday in Amorebieta, respectively. With two World Half Marathon silver medals already under his belt which he won in 2003 and 2004, Joseph will try to break the Ethiopian dominance in Seville, a race which the great Kenenisa Bekele has been an overwhelming victor of in the last two editions.

Originally, in the absence of Kenenisa Bekele, who had chosen to compete in Edinburgh the day before Seville, the organizers had recruited his younger brother Tariku Bekele to strengthen their race’s line-up, but like kenenisa’s withdrawal from Edinburgh, Tariku has also pulled out of the Seville race following his brother’s fiancée’s tragic death on January 4.

Kenya’s Moses Mosop, still 18, was 7th in the Olympic final in Athens after being runner-up in the Kenyan Trials in June. He is coached by an Italian named Renato Canova. Of the starters on Sunday, he holds the fastest time for the 10,000m on the track with a PB of 27:13.66 set in 2003 in Brussels.

In the women’s race, three-time World Cross Country short race champion Edith Masai is the star name. The 37-year-old Kenyan will try to make up for her five-second defeat to Australia’s Benita Johnson in Amorebieta last Sunday.

Masai’s stiffest challenge should come from Ethiopia’s Merima Denboba, who is arguably one the most consistent world cross country runners having been a top-ten finisher on eleven occasions in the course of a total of 12 appearances at the World Cross Country Championships.

The winner in the last two years in Seville, Denboba’s last appearance came last Saturday in Belfast where she took the runner-up position behind Ethiopia’s African 5000m champion Etalemahu Kidane. [IAAF]

Sebsebe to join Saints

The 2004 CECAFA Cup hero Sebsebe Shegere is said to be on his way to join Saint George while Hussein Seman and Zelalem Mesker are on the process to sign for Defense Force.

Sebsebe, one of the star midfielders for the national team in 28th CECAFA Cup, currently playing in the national division for Nyala FC, is expected to put pen to paper in the coming week for the Saints who are determined to snatch him paying the contract buyout price.

According to the weekly Ethiopian Sky Sport, Saints insiders disclosed that money is not the issue concerning the attacking midfielder’s move. “We want to make sure he is ready to don the famous orange shirt,” is the final word from the big bosses who are running the club.

Sebsebe, who scored Ethiopia’s first goal in the tournament against Burundi and who carried the heaviest responsibility of the decisive spot kick against Kenya in the semifinal, is awaited to sign for a fee rumored to be around 70,000 birr.

In other news, Hussien Seman changed allegiance joining Asrat Haile’s famous collection of Defense Force together with Zelalem Mesker who had been for long with Ethiopian Coffee but never enjoyed playing.

As Mamoalem Shanko walked out of Defense Force after a bitter disagreement with club managers, Hussien is the likely candidate to replace him in the front line while Zelalem is expected to fill the gap in midfield. After long dispute with Defense Mamoalem finally received his resignation paper returning the sign on fee he was paid for his signature.

Now that the Ethiopian Premier League has resumed after its two months break, national hero Asrat Haile, who for the second time vowed never to take the national team hot seat again, is highly expected to capitalize on the miraculous final chapter of the tournament.

A winning coach with the national team best player of the 2004 CECAFA Cup Anteneh Alamerew at his disposal, Defense Force is expected to be one of three premier league contenders together with Saint George and Ethiopian Coffee.

 Seyoum to be guest of honor in US

Seyoum Abate is the guest of honor of the 23rd North American Ethiopian Soccer Federation annual tournament to be held in Atlanta in June 2005.

According to sources, Seyoum and Kassahun Teka were tight contenders for the invitation from a list of individuals nominated by the federation.

As it is customary for the federation to invite individuals that have contributed great things to Ethiopia, it chose Seyoum, who has contributed a lot to Ethiopian football as a player and coach for more than three decades, to be special guest of honor at its annual tournament.

Arguably the most knowledgeable football coach in the country having served in several clubs, Seyoum is best known for creating Ethiopian Coffee leading them to where it is at the moment. He also managed the Ethiopian national team at every level, although failed to win any title as his compatriot Asrat Haile, his boyhood friend, did twice. Even at club level Seyoum’s success has not gone further than Ethiopian Coffee.

As a player Seyoum played for Saint George at every level and never wore any other shirt except for the national team. Ironically, the man who started and finished his playing career with the Saints created and coached Coffee, now the fierce rivals of his the veteran club.

Now retired from coaching to stay home with his family, Seyoum has got the chance to be in the US thanks to the North American Ethiopian Soccer Federation who does not forget former players. Also to grace the occasion with Seyoum is popular Ethiopian Radio sport presenter Demissie Damte. Demissie is best remembered for his live commentary of matches during the 15th CECAFA Cup held in Ethiopia.

In fact, Demissie is not new to the US. This will be his second time to visit Atlanta for he was a reporter eight years ago at the Atlanta Olympic.

Long distance great Haile Gebrselassie is also part of the invitees as a special guest of the occasion.

World’s best players in Addis soon

The world’s best football stars will be in Addis Ababa to join in the celebration marking the 60th birthday anniversary of the late Bob Marley that is scheduled to take place in February.

According to insiders in the Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF), 16 of the world’s renowned footballers will be guests of the city in a two weeks program to pay tributes to the legendary Jamaican Reggae star Bob Marley, who died in 1980 of cancer.

The players expected in Ethiopia include the current World Footballer of the Year Ronaldinho, two-time world footballer of the year Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Africa Footballer of the Year Samuel Eto’o, Austin Jay Jay Okocha, Didier Drogba and Mohammed Kalon among others.

The celebration which is to take place at Meskel Square, the city’s only open square, is expected to bring together more than 150 world personalities, including the football players who are said to be cue to honor their visit. The celebration’s theme “African Unite” is the driving slogan for those in exile far away from Africa.

The anniversary celebration is expected to last more than five weeks beginning the last week of January. On February 6, a 10 hour-long music festival will take place with Bob Marley’s son Zigi Marley and his wife Lauren Hill (last baptized and called Fikirte Eyesus) will lead the way with the opening songs.