There was widespread criticism in Senegal Wednesday after the decision taken by a French court to sentence former track federation president Lamine Diack to two years in prison for corruption during his tenure at the IAAF.
There was widespread criticism in Senegal Wednesday after the decision taken by a French court to sentence former track federation president Lamine Diack to two years in prison for corruption during his tenure at the IAAF. People accused the court of racism and said the verdict should be struck down.
Diack was allegedly involved in a scheme that allowed Russian athletes to keep competing when they should have been suspended for doping, after they paid millions in hush money.
The guilty verdict in a Paris court represented a spectacular fall from grace for the 87-year-old Diack, who was the head of the IAAF from 1999-2015, mixed with global leaders and was influential in the world of Olympic sports. The court also gave Diack a two year suspended sentence and fined him 500,000 euros ($590,000).
Diack was found guilty of multiple corruption charges and breach of trust but acquitted of a money laundering charge. Wearing a white robe he sat impassive in front of chief judge, Rose-Marie Hunault as she read out the guilty verdict and sentence.
The judge detailed his role in the payoff scheme, dubbed “full protection”, that squeezed Russian athletes suspected of doping for about 3.2 million euros ($3.74 million) in hush money. The court also handed guilty verdicts to five other people, including Diack’s son, Papa Massata Diack, who worked as an IAAF marketing consultant.
The judge said $15 million was funneled to the younger Diack’s companies while his father was in charge at the IAAF. He lives in Senegal, which has refused to extradite him. The court sentenced him in his absence to five years in prison and a fine of 1 million euros ($1.17 million).

Following the pressure from Ethiopian Professional Footballers Association over the credibility of Ethiopian Football Instructors, Football Federation came forward to make public names and numbers of Instructors in the country. The Federation also introduced the CAF Coaching Convention that would pave a way to a newly structured and regulated system to ensure top quality delivery of courses in terms of organization and content. In the Conference held at the federations head quarter at Bole Road.
EFF Secretary General Baheru Telahun, Football Development and Technical Committee Chair Person Sewnet Bishaw and former national Coach Abraham Mebratu were the presenters of the announcement that makes the water clear for the sport’s family that had been in the dark for years.
Though weather the previous status stands or not was not yet clear for the Confederation of African Football halted CAF Courses in member associations, the names of seven male and four women instructors including few personalities unheard of in the sport’s circle.
Though none of them have no proven back history of playing Football, former Yemen Olympic team Coach Abraham Mebratu leads the short list as the only Elite Instructor in Ethiopia while Sewnet Bishaw, national Technical Director Mekonen Kuru, former Lucy Coach Abraham T/Haimanot, South Africa based Anteneh Eshete, Dr Sirak H/Mariam, Dr Getachew Abebe and Ato Daniel G/Mariam are the Instructors.
Former Lucy Coach who helped Diredawa Ketema men’s team in to top tier promotion Meseret Manny, former Kidus Giorgis Coach Selam Zeray, Behailua Zeleka and Hiwot Arefeayne are the Women Instructors who has better credited for having football playing experience at club level.

Two months in to African Cup of nations qualification third and fourth round fixtures, Ethiopian Football Federation appeared to be forgotten all about preparations. Let alone a squad waiting for a call, the national hot seat is already vacant since July following Abraham Mebratu’s two years contract expiry.
Nearly six months since World Football came to a standstill due to global Covid19 pandemic; it may be hard to talk about the resumption of the sport that calls for a huge crowd coming together under the same roof. Nevertheless Fifa-Caf announced that life must be back to normal accepting the new norm that is strict discipline that goes along with empty stadiums.
Thus the need to wake up Ethiopian Football from hibernation appeared to face a huge setback for the federation has not yet appointed a replacement to Abraham whose two years 6000 USD monthly salary contract expired on the 30th of June, 2020.
Though sources disclosed that national Technical committee chair person Ato Sewnet Bishaw and Football Coaches Association are lobbying to hand Abraham a new contract, the federation President Ato Essayas Jirra and other executive members are said to tend for a new face to take over the mantle. One famous win, two draws and five defeats and failure to book a place in the CHAN and Olympic Cup final, Abraham’s record is far from impressive.
Some critics suggest that the Federation should take responsibility to name anyone from a short list. “This is an emergency situation therefore the federation executive body should take the responsibility of naming one from short listed candidates” one of the critics suggested.
Second in “group K” with two points from two matches Ethiopia faces bottom of the table Niger away on 09/11/2020 and at home a week later. Madagascar tops the table with six points while group favorite Ivory Coast stands third having equal points with Ethiopia.
The introduction of a five year contract dealing isa new chapter in Ethiopian Club Football and other clubs need to follow the breakthrough that would definitely benefit both clubs’ and players as well the national teams” Tsegaye told reporters who attended the two players’ signing ceremony.
This could bring peace and calm among clubs that had been busy building new squads every two seasons. The move would certainly enable Ethiopia Bunna to engage in a long term plan and youth development while the players could stay focused on their carrier rather than switching teams every other year.