Premier League Champion Mekele 70 Enderta is engaged in a serious build up to compete at international fixtures.
Throwing away the golden chance of leading Jimma AbaJifar in to his first ever African Champions League appearance last year, Coach Gebremedin Haile is back into the arena with latest champions Mekele. “Winning trophies is not the only measurement for being successful. But I am happy achieving back to back league title with two different sides,” Gebremedin remarked to reporters.
For a start Gebremedin signed five players including Ghanaian international former Electric and Ethiopia Bunna striker Alhasen Kalusha, flank player Efrem Ashamo, former Mekelakeya defender Tafese Sirka and two upcoming young talents goalkeeper Tsion Mered and mid fielder Alelegn Azene from Arbaminch Town. Both players came through Arbaminch Youth rank the current season yet performed beyond doubt to earn a call from the national side.
The first ever international showdown for Mekele yet taking place in just three week time and against a tricky adversary from Equatorial Guinea, Gebre decided to kick-off his preseason in time to get prepared mentally and physically for the historic match.
Though Gebremedin failed to book a place in the group stages in his previous attempts, he appeared to be determined to go past preliminary rounds this time.
Club officials are working hard lobbing CAF to give green light to Mekele international stadium to host the return leg that takes place in ten days.
Mekele 70 Enderta signs five players
Saint George, Ethiopia Coffee lobbying for a new league
Though the future of Ethiopian Premier League football is unclear, record champions Saint George and popular side Ethiopia Coffee are said to be lobbying for a new league format. “The two Ethiopian Football giants are pulling strings at the higher level in order to bring real change to the football federation,” a source disclosed. “A huge outcome is expected from that campaign,” the source added.
According to sources, Saint George and Ethiopia Coffee are busy joining forces to lobby for a new format change. However, they have not yet decided about appointing their respective coaches. Both are waiting for the outcome of their campaign before announcing coaches for the coming season. “The appointment of Micho and Kasaye Arage is only about buying time,” sources disclosed.
After submitting a letter to the federation announcing the club’s refusal to take part in the national U-20 championship to be held in August, Saint George is said to be busy pulling strings, to bring about significant changes in the Ethiopian Football hierarchy. Firmly supporting Ethiopia Coffee’s stand against the federation followed by the walk out of the Premier League season’s final two fixtures crying foul for the federation’s unfair decision of postponing an important match against Welwalo-Adigrat, Saint George is for once carrying out its historic duty of spearheading Ethiopian Football for a better future.
They have strong grievances with the incumbent EFF executive body Saint George, Ethiopia Coffee, relegated side Mekelakya, Super League sides Ethio-Electric and Ethiopia Medin might reach a ground and get a new format for the coming season.
Heavy qualification group tag along with heavier fixtures
A group stage qualification campaign opening away match against African Cup surprise package Madagascar followed by a home clash against the group mighty Ivory Coast ten days later then visiting Niger after a break of several months, qualifications for 2021 Cameroon Cup final appears an almost impossible task for Ethiopia. In addition to the chaotic situation surrounding Ethiopian Football and the usual lack of seriousness in working hard for qualification, Ethiopia’s effort to book a place in Cameroon 2021 is a mission impossible task for all concerned parties.
The saying goes that numbers never lie and this time numbers are not in favor of the Ethiopian national team. The group heavyweight Ivory Coast is 57th in FIFA World ranking, the tiny island Madagascar 96th Niger 104th while Ethiopia sits 150th.
The latest qualification campaign kicks-off in September which means our players are in the middle of preseason, an exhausting and frustrating year long season from which players called to international duty after less than two weeks rest, senior players, the likes of Salhadin Said and Getaneh Kebede nursing long term injuries, the morale of the players as well supporters for the national team at its lowest ever, no one can blame the charismatic national boss Abraham Mebratu for the outcome is already understood.
Unless one is smart enough to fool himself expecting a good result from the group opening away showdown against in high moral ground Madagascar is an almost impossible undertaking while the second match is about hosting the group giants Ivory Coast ten days later. The third is away to Niger and the match taking place in August next year with Niger to visit Addis in eight days. The first three matches are difficult yet decisive in our qualification campaign. One needs to be foolish even to dream about qualification. National boss Abraham also needs patience to stay longer if not pressure from football fans.
Kolfe, Kirkos, Soloda, Debreberhan, Batu and Chencha promoted to Super League
With eighteen sides playing in four groups, the Ethiopian National League came to an end over the weekend with all six promoted. Two from Addis Ababa one each from Amhara, Tigray, Southern region and Oromia secured their promotion ticket to the Super League season next year.
Batu Town hosted an exciting two-week event, the promotion deciding group fixtures among the 18 sides ended in a dramatic turn out as the home side clinched a place in the Super League. Tigray representative Soloda-Adwa won the final match in a penalty shootout after a 2-2 regular time draw. Soloda won promotion after a 5-3 final score line while Gamo-Chencha of Debub region defeated Oromia’s Sululeta Town 1-0. The winning goal scorer Bedlu Solomon was turned into overnight hero of Gamo.
One of the strongest sides of the group stage Kolfe-Keranio crashed Semen-Shoa-Debreberhan to 3-1 final score to achieve its first ever promotion to the Super League. The biggest clash of the promotion was between hosts Batu Town and visitors Kirkos Sub-City. Abraham Goytom’s decisive goal in the final five minutes, became not only the winner but sent the home supporters to a wild celebration. With a 1-0 final score line Batu Town joined the Super league for the first time.
Since six sides were promoted to the upper tier, the quarter final losers met each other in a play off from which Kirkos Sub-City turned its long time dream come true after 2-1 victory over Sululeta while Semen-Shoa-Debreberhan managed a 2-0 victory over Addis Ababa Police to return to Super League after two seasons in the back water.
Soloda-Adwa, Kolfe Keranyo, Gamo Chencha, Batu Town, Semen-Shoa Debreberhan and Kirkos Sub-city are the six sides that secured promotion to the Super League.
