Although there appears no long term contract for the Ethiopian Women’s National Team Coaching position, the newly appointed boss, Selam Zeray, has taken the bull by the horns and quickly named her back room staff. She is doing this while preparing for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic two leg preliminary round qualification matches against Uganda. The first leg takes place on 3rd April 2019 here in Addis Ababa with the return leg in Kampala a week later.
Critics suggest that Selam, who currently coaches a team on the verge of relegation, is not the right person.
Selam’s first job was hiring her assistant coaches. She named Ledeta’s Bezuayehu Waga and Ethiopia Bunna’s Tsegazeab Asgedom assistant and goal keeping coaches respectively.
With her lieutenants behind her, Selam announced a final 24 player shortlist that is dominated by Ethiopia NegedBank with seven while Adama has eight players. The mid field is more about NegedBank whereas Adama is in full command of the defense and the strike force.
The absence of Diredawa’s lonely striker, Ayda Usman, who has 12 goals, Hawassa’s goal getter Nestanet Mena and Trunesh Dibaba’s Kidst Belachew and the presence of Tirit’s Meser Ebrahim and Hawassa’s Helen Eshetu each with two and three goals respectively caused a stir among sports fans.
Critics think that Selam who currently coaches Saint George, which is on the verge of relegation, is not the right person for the job. Many believe her intelligence to play EFF’s way being unconcerned about a permanent job gave her the chance. “Lucy will not progress from the first qualification round,” one fan predicted.