Veteran side Mekelakya was relegated to the Super League after fourteen lavish seasons at the top tier while new comers Debub Police returned to the woods after a single season in the Premier League. Sehul-Shere survived after an away 2-1 victory over cross town rival Welwalo-Adigrat.
A 1-1 home draw with visiting Ethiopia Coffee on Wednesday, Debub’s single season honeymoon at the top tier ended unceremoniously finishing 15th in the table. “Undue interruption of the league season cost us dearly. But behold we will be back next year,” Coach G/Kirstos Birra told reporters after the hard to swallow incident.
Fourteen seasons in the Premier League and three knock-out Cups later, Mekelakeya dropped down to the lower league after a 2-1 home defeat to the hands of title contender Mekele Seba-Enderta. Twenty one points from 29 matches and conceding the second highest 53 goals, the Army side finished 15th in the league table only to bow out of the top tier following bottom of the table Dedebit. “We have done everything to survive. But things failed to come true in favor of us,” the Coach who replaced Seyoum Kebede late in the second round Belete G/Kidan remarked after the saddest moment in his career.
Debub Police from the southern region, Mekelakeya from Addis Ababa and Dedebit from Mekele are the three teams relegated while Sebeta Town from Oromia, Wolkite and Hossana from southern region replaced them in the Premier League next season.