Likely to set a huge impact on the season’s title contention, the 22nd week Ethiopian Premier League’s biggest showdown takes place on Tuesday, bringing league leaders Mekele Town to a head on clash against serious title contender Saint George in Addis Ababa. Five-star Ethiopia Coffee returns to action visiting Adama Town in Nazareth while defending champion Jimma AbaJifar entertains in top form Sidama Coffee. Spear headed by leading top scorer Amanuel G/Michael, Mekele Town visit Addis Ababa on Tuesday to battle out the most important game of the season against record champions Saint George. Ten points clear off its counterpart, Mekele leads the table with 46 points from 14 wins, 3 draws and 4 defeats while Saint George is down to fourth place with 36 points. In bad form Adama Town entertains in high morale Ethiopia Coffee at Abebe Bikila Stadium. The visitors are under pressure to perform a duplication of last weekend whereas the home side is in need of a breathing space.
Runner-up Sidama Coffee travels to Western Ethiopia to visit defending champion Jimma AbaJifar. Both sides currently at their top form, the showdown is sure to give some adrenaline for football fans. Back from a shocking 5-0 defeat Baherdar Town faces despondent home supporters, entertaining relegation threatened, Dedub Police. Coach Paulos Getachew (Mango) is expected to face a tricky home match but expected to bring a strong stance to help supporters forget the recent away humiliation.
Second on the table Fasil Town hosts “The Love Birds” Diredawa while bottom table Dedebit will face city rival Welwalo Adigrat. Sehul Shere takes on visitors Hawassa Town.
Title deciding clash on Tuesday: St George versus Mekele
Sentayehu Mengestu, Daniel Dawit jointly lead Super League chart
Four fixtures in to the second round, the 36 team, three group, and two round, Super League season is getting momentum with the strikers getting busy over the weekend. An average of twenty five goals in a single fixture, Group (C) promotion contender Arbaminch Town’s one man strike force Sentayehu Mengestu and Nekemt Town target man Daniel Dawit jointly lead the top scorers’ chart.
Many football fans believe the real thing of winning games is more to the second tier than the Premier League where an average of eleven goals per fixture is maintained regularly.
Nevertheless, group (C) second place Arbaminch Town’s goal hunter Sentayehu Mengestu and third in the group Nekemt Town’s Daniel Dawit jointly lead the top scorers’ list each with ten goals. Both front players are nearly scored half of the total goal tally in their respective sides thus contributing the lion’s share in the teams’ promotion campaign.
Group (B) leader’s Ethiopia Medin boasts one of the remarkable strikers Abduletif Murad grabbed his first hat trick of the season last Sunday. Taking home the ball in his name, Abduletif is second in the table with nine goals sharing the spot with unbeaten side Sebeta Town’s target man Natnaiel Ganchula. A strong strike force that scored 24 goals and a rather stronger defense line that concede only eight goals, Sebeta Town appears the most balanced side ready to promotion at the end of the season.
Jimma AbaBuna’s Carlos Dametew, Woldya Town’s Tesfaye Negash, the only foreigner Hosana Town’s Eric Muranda and Bishoftu Auto motive’s Wondemagene Gebre are fourth each with seven goals in their name.
Debub Police, Dicha encounter should be moved to neutral venue
Considering the current Ethiopian political situation, trying to control flashpoints of ethnic clashes in the name of sport is too much to be handled at the Ethiopian Football Federation’s level. But the least early precautions and assessment and monitoring situations is expected to be taken care ahead of anything that could take many by surprise.
Knowing what is at stake, EFF should have made sure every safety precaution had been taken ahead of Debub Police against Wolayta Dicha encounter in Hawassa. If there is no enough security personnel it is reasonable to postpone matches so sensitive to control crowds easily.
More in comfort with BBC Sport than local media to share secrets, EFF president Essayas on his return from Tigray once boasted the politics of the sport is no more a problem for the Amhara versus Tigray team matches and said it will never take place in neutral venues. But the problem came and thanks to EFF’s negligence to take early measures the encounter failed to take place following a clash between opposite supporters that cost much in terms of human loss. Though Dicha earlier submitted a letter requesting for a neutral venue, EFF turned a deaf ear therefore not only the two teams match even Sunday’s clash between Hawassa and Saint George was postponed to an unknown date and the visitors returned to the capital wasting precious time and money. Still the fixtures were postponed to Thursday and to a neutral venue Addis Ababa. EFF’s irresponsible handling of the situation cost the sport as well the public so dearly and there appears no one to take accountability or appear in public to an apology for what went wrong.
If this is how to run Ethiopian football in a swift and efficient way and boasting as governor of the sport that belongs to hundreds of millions of people it must be a standing joke that tastes pale and bitter.
Why after all is the game scheduled in Hawassa if it must be commenced why not the necessary amount of security present earlier in the day? Was the risk worth the final outcome? Don’t expect an answer from EFF for it has no ear to listen to such grievances.
Meron Abayneh
Name: Meron Abayneh
Education: BA in Theology
Company name: SUNPARE Gallery
Studio Title: Owner
Founded in: 2019
What it does: Designing Traditional Clothes
HQ: Kassanchis
Number of employees: 2
Startup Capital: 5,000 birr
Current capital: Growing
Reasons for starting the business: Passion for design
Biggest perk of ownership: Idea freedom
Biggest strength: Overcoming challenges
Plan: To have my own Garment company
First career: Designer
Most interested in meeting: Oprah Winfrey
Most admired person: Oprah Winfrey
Stress reducer: Going to church
Favorite past-time: Working
Favorite book: Bible
Favorite destination: Paris
Favorite automobile: Mercedes Benz