Kaka and Martha crowned FIFA world best footballers of year 2007

Two days after world club championship the Brazilian offensive genius Ricardo Kaka crowned FIFA world best player of year 2007. This must be the best year of his life time for the Ac Milan golden boy swept every award of the soccer world at sight. Ricardo Kaka became the fifth Brazilian player to win the award, also the first Ac Milan player since Marco Van Basten twelve years back.
Twenty five years old Kaka who has been with the Italian giants Ac Milan since 2003 has seen every honor at club level including two European championship titles before he won world professional players of 2007 award, followed by the Golden Ball France Football Europe best player of the season Golden Ball award, then the coveted FIFA best player of year 2007 award on Monday night. Nominated for the very first time, Kaka collected 1047 votes of FIFA member countries national managers and national team captains. Kaka helped Ac Milan for their six European titles, then the world club championship title on Sunday defeating Latin American clubs champion Argentinean Boca Juniors 4-2 in Japan. Scoring one and assisting two of the three goals Kaka was voted best player of the tournament to receive the 2008 model Toyota automobile.
The day’s surprise was the twenty years old Barcelona diminutive attacking wizard Lionel Messy. For he won the France Football Bronze Ball finishing third it was unexpected when he was called for the podium runner-up of the 2007 FIFA best players’ award. Currently the most important player of Spanish side Barcelona, the rising star collected 504 votes to finish second followed by Manchester United’s magician Christiano Ronaldo. Though Ronaldo who helped United to their ninth premier league championship and finished third top scorer of the English season won the France Football Silver Ball, he won only 426 votes to finish second runner up of IAAF best players of the year.
The women’s IAAF best player award went to title defending Brazilian Martha who collected 988 votes. The 2007 women’s world cup top scorer with seven goals stood ahead of former three times IAAF best player and China world cup best player Germany captain Bright Prinze. The tall German won 507 votes. The other Brazilian Christane finished third with 150 votes.
The presidential award went to all time soccer great Pele while Barcelona awarded Fair Play prize for its good will to permit a space to UNICEF in the team shirt.

Arsenal face AC Milan in knockout stage
Inter Vs Liverpool

Defending European champions Ac Milan paired with English premier league leaders Arsenal while Serie "A" top of the table Inter Milan drew with Liverpool in the first knockout stage.
Six times European champions Ac Milan led by the latest FIFA world player of the year Ricardo Kaka is to test Arsene Wenger's most talked about side Arsenal inspired by young Cesk Fabregas. The match might be a pay back time to Arsene Wenger for finishing second in the group stage. The two met in 1995 from which Ac Milan came out a winner in an aggregate 2-0 score line.
Last year runner up and five times champions Liverpool are also a bit unlucky facing Italian giants Inter Milan early in the campaign. Manager Benitez under pressure from every side following a premier league home defeat by United and Carling Cup elimination at the hands of Chelsea, the tough pairing with Inter came at the very wrong time.
Manchester United and Chelsea appeared the lucky ones taking relatively easy sides in six time French defending champions Lyon and Greece heavy weights Olympiakos, respectively.
Nine times European champions Real Madrid clash against AS Roma currently in best form in the Italian league. Coming second following Manchester United in the group stage Totti inspired Roma has a good chance of defeating the Spanish league leaders. Rather the other Spanish side Seville met a relatively light weight side in Turkish champions Fenerbache.
The German side Schalke paired with former European champions under manager Jose Maurinho FC Porto. Schalke with an edge to win in aggregate, the two sides that are below the Giants in their own leagues have never met before.
Currently the most entertaining team of world football Barcelona play defending Scottish champions Celtic for the first time since 2004 when they met four times in a single season. Both have unsettled business with each other.

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Time for Action

Though the sport and youth ministry sent a letter to EFF to summon a national federation’s assembly, so far nothing to that direction is taking place. Rather the Ethiopian premier league season fixtures are in high swing among the fourteen sides. According to the latest statistics, the suspended season defending champion Awasa Kenema and Trans Ethiopia are leading the table both with out defeat in the past five fixtures.
Considering that we are already in the fourth month of the Ethiopian new season and those fourteen sides deep in their engagement, I am not sure the national assembly could strike a win-win solution for all concerned. Even though many of the sides happen to be there in what has is considered widely to be an improper way, the Dr Asheber led federation accepted them as premier league sides. With all the money spent can one simply say, Oh I am sorry you were in the wrong truck and go down to where you belong? As those sides belong to government institutions and their budget comes straight from government coffers, no one could dare say quit mid season and go back home. The least the institutions will get disappointed and might decide to forget about the sport in the future. After hundreds of thousands of Birr, if not in millions, have already been spent in the name of those sides in the premier league, could Ethiopian football afford such a negative attitude? I doubt it.
By the same token the run away league clubs currently under the Union banner are also expending millions of Birr in preparation for the new league season. They already organized two tournaments one in the capital and the other in Adama, Oromia. Except Saint George and Ethiopian Coffee the remaining sides belong to government institutions, meaning they are run with government budget. It has been more than four months since they have started preparation for the league season. Those sides signed new players handing substantial signing bonus. To what end is all the money gone? Is that just for nothing? Where ever the money comes, I don’t think it is healthy watching it going in to a drain.
In my opinion the ball is in the ministry’s court waiting for the next action to take place. Both sides stood firm of their respective grounds and compromise is already out of the question. The only ruling should come from the nation’s sports governing body, which is the youth and sport ministry. Let the ministry come up with the best of solutions in time before every one gets frustrated and throw their towels to go home. Once the whistle is gone, bringing back the sport’s family is not going to be an easy task.

Trans and Awassa lead the premier league table

No one appears to be aware of the Ethiopian premier league season kick-off, although it has already gone through four week fixtures and ready for the fifth. Not only are many people oblivious to the kick-off, but they also have no idea what is happening with the premier league and who are the stake holders there. "Yes, I know there are six sides that have not joined the run away league clubs now taking part in the premier league. I heard there are fourteen sides in the league but don't know the remaining six sides", remarked a former player asked how the new season is going on.
The strongest sides of the premier league next to Awasa Kenema, Trans Ethiopia entertained visitors Ethiopian Water Works and won three nil. The home side under former popular national player Gebremedin Haile took the lead in the first half through Habtom Berhane, then the second coming in the second half through Medhane Tadesse followed by own goal of the visitors. Staying second until Sunday Trans is now on top of the table with ten points.
Defending champions Awasa Kenema settled for a two - two away draw with new comers Finchaa Sugar FC. When the visitors led the way with the first half two goals through Getahun Ashamo and Bereket Yishak the crowd feared a slaughter to follow. However the home side performed a surprise come back to score twice and a draw at the final whistle. Awassa is second in goal difference.
Although new comers to the premier league, Addis Ababa Police FC traveled to the Amhara Region capital to return with the vital 1-0 away victory over Bahirdar University. The remaining matches ended in a draw. Fasil Kenema and Defense Force settled to 1-1 home draw with Air Force FC and Mugher Cement respectively. Southern Police Vs visitors Harar Brewery ended in a goalless draw. Addis Ababa Police is third with eight points from four matches followed by Water Works with six points.

Tadesse Tola and Eshetu Wondemu dominated Spain annual event

Fellow Ethiopian Tadesse Tola and Eshetu Wondemu and Martha Dominguez from home dominated the 28th cross international de Vente de Banos cross country championship on a quite cold morning in Spain.
The reigning Ethiopian cross country champion Tadesse Tola dictated most of the 10.4 KM billed as Ethio- Kenya battle. Having the defending champion Ethiopian Seleshi Sehen's famous victory Kenyans lined the Mombasa top ten to counter balance the two Ethiopian athletes the ultimate winners.
Although Tadesse led all the way ten athletes had been clustered together until the final three kilo meters where some movements took place to rattle the pack. When the bell went for the final lap it was an only African show with two Ethiopians against five Kenyans. Cautious and well in assessment of the situation Tadesse waited until the final 500 meter where he injected a brisk pace throwing away every one including world cross country silver medalist Bernard Kiprop Kipyego then Michael Kipyego two hundred meters from the finishing line. The only challenge of course the fiercest came from home boy Eshetu Wondemu an accomplished road runner. Tadesse with an awesome sprint finish clocked 30:39 to win the day followed by Eshetu Wondemu one second later. Michael Kipyego finished third in 30: 44 followed by his fellow Kenyan Kiprop Kypyego two seconds late.
The women's event that was 6.4 kilo meters was solely to local idol Martha Dominguez who won the day after many trials. The European champion Martha held her breath until last to a sprint finish never to disappoint her villagers' heartily support. Shaking off every one Martha and Hungarian Aniko Kalovics remained to the final sprint finish that started two hundred meters from the finishing line. Taking advantage of her track performance Martha easily over took Kalovics to win the race in 20:56 the Hungarian coming second in 20:57 followed by the Portuguese duo.

CAPITAL in Ring Road Relay Paper launches 10th anniversary celebratory events

By Tesfu Telahoun

Established in 1998 as Ethiopia's first English language business affairs weekly CAPITAL is about to enter a second decade of consistent service in journalism. The newspaper is organizing a series of 10th anniversary commemorative events, including several initiatives to promote various social causes for which CAPITAL has particular concern and a dutiful obligation to support.
Among these is the current, grievous state of road safety - an issue to which CAPITAL devoted a four month weekly column, "Brakes, Please! in a bid to contribute to raising public awareness on road and vehicular safety.
In this spirit, CAPITAL is participating on today's 12 km Ring Road Relay, by sponsoring two teams of 12 runners. The relay is the fourth edition of an annual event organized by Great Ethiopian Run in collaboration with the Addis Ababa City Roads Authority and Chinese road builders, CRBC, with the objective of 'raising awareness to prevent road accidents in our city.'
The 12 km relay race also involved a professional runners category. The race begun at 9:00 am Sunday with the start line at Megenagna roundabout.