Footballing glory has evaded Ethiopia ever since they won the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) on home soil in 1962. But after a sparkling run of form in the qualifiers, manager Wubetu Abate is determined to gift them a renaissance as they head to this year’s tournament in Cameroon.

Ethiopia’s fortunes spent a long time in the doldrums after winning the 1962 Africa Cup of Nations on home soil: They went more than three decades without qualifying until CAN-2013, where they failed to get out of the group stage.
After impressing in Ethiopian club football crowned by his role guiding Ethiopia Bunna to the 2010-11 Ethiopian Premier League crown, the only time they have ever won the title – Wubetu Abate was drafted in to step up national team ambitions in September 2020. The country’s football federation didn’t renew previous manager Abraham Mebratu’s contract amid a poor run of form.
Abate enjoyed a brief spell as a player at Pulp and Worket before injury forced him to hang up his boots and turn to management. An acclaimed track record at minor club Adama City landed Abate a string of jobs coaching more prestigious teams. He joined Debedit in 2007 before winning himself national renown as Ethiopia Bunna boss.
‘It was a dream for me’
“I like challenges and enjoy them,” Abate told journalists when he took charge of the Ethiopian national side. “I face many challenges in my coaching career. The higher the risk, the higher the reward. It was a dream for me to manage the Ethiopian national team. Surprisingly, the dream has come true, and I hope to achieve good results during my spell.”
The Ethiopian Football Federation gave Abate two objectives when they made him manager: Qualify for CAN-2022 and get into the third round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
Abate achieved the first objective in style coming second in the group only behind Ivory Coast, a formidable force in African football. An impressive run of form at home carried the Walias, as they are nicknamed, to qualification, capped by a 4-0 thrashing of Madagascar in March.
“Ethiopia won qualification in a tough group thanks to those wins at home,” noted Patrick Julliard, an African football specialist at FRANCE 24’s sister station Radio France Internationale (RFI), on its Africa Cup of Nations podcast Pod’CAN.
Alas, Abate’s second task was more elusive – as a 3-1 home defeat against South Africa confined the Walias to the group stage.
Nevertheless, if there’s anyone who can take Ethiopia to the next level it’s Abate, suggested Franck Simon, another African football specialist, on Pod’CAN: “Abate is an absolute expert on the Ethiopian game and he’s really able to make the most of the resources at his disposal.”
More investment in football
The Ethiopian government and football federation have stepped up investments in the country’s footballing infrastructure over recent years to optimise local talents – most eye-catchingly with the massive, yet-unfinished Bahir Dar stadium in the eponymous capital of the Amhara region.
Money is pouring in especially thanks to the sale of TV broadcasting rights while it’s no longer rare to see players and staff from elsewhere in Africa going into Ethiopian football.
“It’s a team centred on local players who’ve adopted a passing game – much more comfortable with possession that when their opponents have the ball,” Julliard said. “It’s also a squad built around veterans, as the spine of the current team is a collection of players who featured for Ethiopia at CAN-2013.”
Indeed, Ethiopia will be relying on stalwarts like Dedebit FC striker Getaneh Kebede the iconic club captain who has scored 32 goals in 61 international appearances since his first cap in 2010 and Awassa City’s Shimelis Bekele, who started off on the national team the same year as Kebede.
Despite that unpromising recent track record marked by their disappointing performance at their most recent CAN eight years ago Ethiopia have every reason to be optimistic as they head to Cameroon. “They’re capable of anything, and they’ll definitely be in the running for second place in their group,” as Simon put it.

Horse racing events take place every day around the world, but some race days are more popular than others. The most popular will often attract audiences of people that is a mix of both experts and novices when it comes to betting on the great sport.

There are some huge racing events held annually in Africa which not only captivate the people that live in the country, but also those that live far and wide. The country with more race days and race events is South Africa.

These events are present in TwinSpires Racing for example and you can bet on them even if you have never stepped on this country.

In total, there are 28 Group 1s throughout the season, with prize money equating to just over $3 million. But, what are some of the biggest events that are staged in Africa annually?

Durban July Handicap

There isn’t a bigger race in Africa than the Durban July Handicap. As the name would suggest, the race takes place annually on the first Saturday in July, and has done since its inception in 1897. Greyville Racecourse plays host to the huge event, which sees horses aged three and older compete in a handicap race over a distance of 2200 meters. Typically there is a prize purse of R4.25 million, but that was reduced in 2021 due to the COVID pandemic.

The distance of the race has altered over its history, as it was first run over 1600 meters before being increased. It is one of the hardest races to win, which is evident by the fact that only five horses have managed to win it in back-to-back years.

The most recent horse to achieve this defeat was the perfectly named, Do It Again, who won his second race in 2019. Other horses to have achieved the feat include El Picha, Milesia Pride and Campanajo.

South African Derby

The Derby is so often the race that all fans want to watch, whether it is the Epsom Derby or Kentucky Derby. It is no different when it comes to the South African Derby, which is run in April. It has been an annual race on the South African calendar since 1907, as the field of horses aged three run over a distance of 2450 meters at Turffontein Racecourse in Johannesburg.

There have been some impressive winners of this race in the past, and there has also been international-bred success. US-bred Grey’s Inn won the race in 2004, while New Zealand-bred Timber Trader won in 2002. However, there hasn’t been a foreign-bred winner of the race since Silverpoint in 2005. Malmoos is the most recent winner of the South African Derby, having won the race by five and a quarter lengths from Pamushana’s Pride in 2021.

Cape Metropolitan

The Cape Metropolitan, is one of the most famous Grade1s that is run in South Africa every year. At present, it is called the Sun Met, and is run over a distance of 2,000 meters at Kenilworth Racecourse in Cape Town. The race was first introduced in 1883, and has gone on to become one of the most famous races on the calendar alongside the Summer Cup and Durban July Handicap.

The race offers a huge incentive to connections, as there is a massive purse of R5 million available should their horse finish in the money positions. Horse Chestnut was the most famous winner of this race, as the Hall of Famer claimed success in this race back in 1999 for trainer Mike de Kock. Pocket Power is one of the most successful horses in recent years, having won three times between 2007 and 2009. The most recent winner of the Cape Metropolitan was Rainbow Bridge, who won for trainer Eric Sands in 2021.

If you want to find other race events outside South Africa, there are a couple in countries like Mauritius. Check it out here.