Ethio-Electric relegated with no one to stand accountable

After five consecutive seasons battling to survive in Ethiopian Football top tier, the beginning of the end appears to come over to the former twice Ethiopian Premier League champion Ethio-Electric following its relegation to the lower league at the end of the 2018 season. The relegation of both the men’s and women’s sides shows what a huge mismanagement is in motion at the Ethiopian Electric Power.
Famous for producing young talents such as the likes of national team hero Salhadin Said, Muger Cement FC relegated in 2015 then disbanded. Two seasons later the number one Sport spending Club Ethiopia NegedBank relegated to face the same fate as Muger. Here comes the only remaining Government affiliated Premier League side going down the drain likely to be disbanded for the major financer Ethio Electric Utility itself dispersed in to nine regions and two zones.
Though the whole aim of financing the Sport was about fulfilling social obligation of the Company, the reality is about fattening individual pockets in the name of committees, board members and above all the king maker middle men. Spending hundreds of millions birr with nothing to show at the end of the season and no one to be accountable for the fiasco, Electric FC’s history appeared to come to the end. Ethiopia Medin is the only government financed team yet roasting at the Super League for the past five years yet few of the Company’s employees know about it.
Spending millions signing footballers including four foreigners, one of the Premier League most spending team Ethio-Electric sacked Head Coach Berhanu Bayu after successive survival battle seasons only to bring Ashenafi Bekele towing Bogale Zewde alas Intelo as assistant to pilot the team in to relegation. Ethio-Electric finished 14th in the table with only 35 points from thirty matches thus relegated following Arbaminch Ketema and bottom of the table Woldya Ketema.