The Ethiopian Women national Olympic team returned home head-up despite an early elimination from 2020 Japan Olympic football qualification campaign. A heroic away goal less draw against African mighty Cameroon “Lucy” missed the chance to go to the next stage aborted with an away goal advantage.
With the aggregate score line stood at 1-1 “Cameroon booked a place in the final qualification stage where as Lucy paid dearly for the 1-1 draw first leg match in Addis Ababa.
Lucy’s lethal strike force Losa Aberra travelling to Malta to kick-off her professional carrier and Women’s league top scorer Senaf Wakuma back to the lineup lately plus the squad being called to preparation ten days before the first leg encounter, humbling Cameroon to 1-1 aggregate score line is a huge result for Coach Selam Zeray and her diehard squad members.
Selam told reporters on her return from Cameroon that she is quite satisfied with her girls’ performance especially the defense line that kept the home side strikers at bay. “I am very proud for their commitment despite a huge pressure from Cameroon supporters” Selam told reporters. ” Our team performed much more than everyone’s expectation therefore they we deserve big hands from sports family” she added.
With the hassle getting stronger between clubs and Ethiopian Football Federation, Women’s football appeared to be the first to be the victim for most women teams are under the shadows of Men’s premier League sides. The Men’s league is about setting salary scale with the federation setting who gets what despite the indifference among footballers contribution to the team. But Women’s football is about recognition and proper treatment from the football governing body that so far gave little attention.
The federation needs to give due attention to women’s football that means going extra mile to help them find sponsorship from home grown investors in order to keep the momentum of producing young talents.