A crucial hat trick to help his side revive from two consecutive defeats to go past visitors Hawassa-Ketma in 5-0 win, Okiki Afolabi heralds his better late than never presence in style.
With goal machine Temesgen G/Michael absent from the roaster for the past seven weeks and missing a spot kick in the two-nil defeat to visitors St George, the Nigerian top scorer Okiki saved the day for Mekele steering the side to five star victory. Mulugeta W/Giorgis with the second and Seyoum Tesfaye’s injury time final nail on the coffin, the day ended in huge celebration for the defending champions.
Though the dreamed strike partnership between Amanuel G/Michael and Okiki failed to come true, the huge victory meant a lot for Gebremedihn and his squad inspiring to become the first regional side to win back to back premier league title.
A brace in a 2-1 victory over Sebeta and the winning goal against Sehul, here comes Okiki catching up the leading scorers’ chart with six goals. The Nigerian is now joint third leading scorer along with St George’ Getaneh Kebede, Sebeta Ketema savior Fitsum G/Mariam and Mekele’s Amanuel G/Michael.
“I am really happy and felt alive after handing my team a much deserved victory at the same time bagging a hat trick in front of home supporters” Okiki told reporters. “I will do my best to win the top scorers’ crown as well steer Mekele for back to back title” Okiki remarked.
Okiki Afolabi’s hat-trick helped Mekele bounce back to reality
Israeli Ethiopian soccer players ordered to meet Netanyahu or be benched
The Ethiopian-Israeli soccer league threatened its players that if they didn’t attend a ceremony with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the league final, they would be benched for the postseason.
Moreover, the league said, any team in which more than half the players skipped the ceremony would be ousted from the league.
It demanded that at least 80 percent of every team’s roster be present, and said that every player who didn’t attend would result in a point being deducted from his team.
Netanyahu attended the final in Gedera on Tuesday together with Gadi Yevarkan, an Ethiopian Israeli who was elected to the last Knesset as part of Kahol Lavan but recently jumped ship to Likud. The ceremony was to mark the 20th anniversary of the league’s founding.
But the fact that players will be appearing with Netanyahu just two weeks before the election is problematic, because the Culture and Sports Ministry, headed by a member of Netanyahu’s party, funds the league to the tune of 300,000 shekels ($88,000).
MK Pnina Tamano-Shata (Kahol Lavan), herself an Ethiopian Israeli, petitioned the Central Elections Committee against the league’s demands, saying Netanyahu and Yevarkan have no right to use a state-funded league for electioneering. But the committee rejected the petition after the association that runs the league said all its money came from donations – a statement that contradicts official Culture Ministry documents, which show that the ministry does fund the league.
The league is virtually unknown outside the Ethiopian-Israel community.
Ethiopian Tadu, Dibabe to defend Hamburg Marathon crowns
Tadu Abate and Dibabe Kuma will return to defend their titles at the Haspa Marathon Hamburg, a World Athletics Gold Label road race, on 19 April.
At 22, Tadu is still a youngster in marathon running. After his biggest career victory in Hamburg a year ago, when he clocked 2:08:25 in wet and cold conditions, the Ethiopian improved his personal best to 2:06:13 in Amsterdam. This year he will renew his rivalry with compatriot Ayele Abshero who finished second after last year’s thrilling finish, just a second behind Tadu.
In 2018 Abate had left his experienced rival behind him as well, when the pair finished second and third in Hamburg behind fellow-Ethiopian Solomon Deksisa. Ayele Abshero, 29, who has a world-class personal best of 2:04:23, will be eager to be beat his younger rival this time.
Dibabe Kuma returns to head the women’s field after her surprise last year when she produced a great solo run in the poor conditions to win in 2:24:42.
Fellow-Ethiopian Meseret Belete will be one of her main challengers. Just 20, Belete was sixth at the 2018 World Half Marathon Championships and holds a marathon PB of 2:24:54.
Local attention will fall on German star Philipp Pflieger (2:12:50 PB), who is gunning for the Olympic qualifying standard of 2:11:30. He showed good form two days ago when he improved his PB in the half marathon to 1:02:50 in Barcelona.
Total Ethiopia invested 1.3 million birr
Total Ethiopia invested 1.3 million birr to provide road safety cube materials to primary and elementary schools in and around Addis Ababa. The cubes will be distributed to children in elementary schools in order to help them take precaution against road traffic accidents.
(L) Thibault Lesueur, Managing Director of Total, Mulu Gebregziabher, State Minister of Transport and Dagmawit Moges, Minister of Transport. page 3
