FIFA confirmed on Thursday that the 2022 World Cup qualifiers scheduled for Africa during June have been postponed until September due to the coronavirus and stadiums not meeting international standards.
There will now be double matchdays in September, October and November with the 10 group winners advancing to the final round next March.
Africa has been allocated five places at the 32-nation tournament in Qatar, which has been moved from its traditional mid-year setting to November and December because of extreme summer heat.
Had two matchdays been staged in June, Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Namibia, Niger, Senegal and Sierra Leone would not have been able to stage qualifiers.
The main stadiums in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Libya and Uganda were also ruled out, but they had alternate venues capable of hosting internationals.
Bahir Dar Stadium is the only Ethiopian stadium that is cleared to host world cup qualifiers.
Recently elected Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe from South Africa has prioritised improving poor facilities and pitches at many national stadiums.
FIFA postpone June World Cup qualifiers in Africa
Shura and Tigist win Ethiopian Olympic Marathon trials
Shura Kitata and Tigist Girma won the Ethiopian Olympic Marathon Trials last Saturday in Sebeta, a city just outside Addis Ababa.
The 35K qualifying race saw a thrilling finish in the men’s event, with Kitata, the 2020 London Marathon champion, edging out two-time Boston Marathon winner Lelisa Desisa in a sprint to the line.
Lelisa Desisa went home disappointed on Saturday, but he has still guaranteed himself a chance to race in Sapporo, Japan, where this year’s Olympic marathon will be held. Sisay Lemma crossed the line in 1:46:19, just a few seconds behind Shura and Lelisa. Although his ticket is booked for the Tokyo Games on paper, Lemma can’t celebrate for Ethiopian running legend Kenenisa has challenged the qualification decision of the Ethiopian Athletics Federation.
Tigist Girma, the 2019 Ottawa Marathon champion, owns one of the fastest marathon results in history, and she ranks 14th among Ethiopians all time. She ran this result at the 2019 Amsterdam Marathon, where she finished second.
Second place went to Birhane Dibaba in 1:59:45. Birhane owns the sixth-fastest marathon result in Ethiopian history, with a PB of 2:18:35, which she ran in her second-place finish at the Tokyo Marathon in 2020. Roza Dereje won the third and final spot on the Ethiopian marathon team headed to Tokyo this summer, crossing the line in 2:00:16.
As things stand now, the top three men and women from Saturday’s race will represent Ethiopia in the Olympic marathon this summer.
Solomon Hailu
Name: Solomon Hailu
Education: High School diploma
Company name: Solomon and Fikre Metal Works Enterprise
Title: Founder
Founded in: 2008
What it does: Make different kinds of metal works
HQ: Addis Ababa, Shola
Number of employees: 8
Startup Capital፡ 90,000 birr
Current capital፡ 1.3 million birr
Reason for starting the business: Ambition to have my own income
Biggest perk of ownership: Working for myself
Biggest strength: Knowing the business
Biggest challenge: Raw material
Plan: Expanding my work
First career: Metal work
Most interested in meeting: Professor Birhanu Nega
Most admired person: My big brother
Stress reducer: Praying
Favorite past time: Playing tennis
Favorite book: The Bible
Favorite destination: Dubai
Favorite Automobile: Jeep
