Disregarded by Sewnet Bishaw and Company from the Ethiopian National Team Boss candidacy, Gebremedin Haile steered Jimma AbaJifar to the Premier League Championship title in the club’s first ever top tier season. Nobody is likely to be close to him when it comes to Coach of the Year voting. .
When he earned just five points from the first six matches the speculation was that Gebremedin would be sacked, even before the end of the first round. The 2-1 home victory in December over strong side Ethiopia Bunna was the turning point and since then it only lost two matches both away to Hawassa and Saint George.
The record shows AbaJifar was the most consistent team in the league this season. Their defensive line was strong, it conceded the lowest number of goals (15) and it had a devastating strike force that scored the second highest total, 39 one less than the defending champions. This is amazing and the architect is no other than the former Ethiopian national team and Saint George striker Gebremedin Haile.
According to critics Gebremedin’s smartest move was that of signing capable foreign players in the team’s three departments. A goalie from Ghana: Daniel Agyei, a central defender from Mali: Adama Sisoco and goal machine Nigerian Okikiola fired a new record for a foreign player of 23 goals.
Boss Gebremedin makes history as 2018 EPL Champion
Wubetu parts with Hawassa, Mesay out at Fasil
After three and half years the former Ethiopia Neged Bank, Adama and Ethiopia Bunna head coach Webetu Abate left Hawassa with his assistant Mulugeta Meheret the favorite to take over the hot seat. Mesay Teferi also bowed out of Fasil following his half year contract termination.
Finishing ninth in the league season collecting only 36 points from 30 matches, Wubetu’s three year term with former Ethiopian champions Hawassa was not impressive as far as results. But they played entertaining football and produced a lot of young talent. “Entertaining football and emerging talent will be the legacy he leaves behind and we will remain grateful for his time with Hawassa,” remarked an official from the club.
The former Saint George and Ethiopian national team skipper Mulugeta Meheret assistant to Wubetu for the last two seasons is going to take over for the coming season.
Also on the move is Mesay Teferi who has been with the Gondor based side for half of the current season. Taking over the side three matches in to the second round, things appeared to be too hard for the former Wolayta Dicha popular Boss Mesay for he could only manage four wins and four draws in twelve outings. Only 16 points from a possible 36 points Fasil’s official decided not to extend the contract thus Mesay left the Club for good. “I am always grateful for having the chance to boss Fasil,” Mesay told reporters.
Genzebe breaks 22-year-old record while Kipruto misses a chance
Genzebe Dibaba made history in the Stade Louis II with a women’s world 1500m record of 3:50.07, surpassing Qu Yunxia’s mark of 3:50.46, set at the 1993 Chinese National Games. Kenyan Olympic champion Brimin Kipruto missed a chance to make history.
After world indoor 800m champion Chanelle Price had paced her through 400m in 1:00.31 and 800m in 2:04.52 the Ethiopian still had European champion Sifan Hassan for company as she passed the bell in 2:50.3. But she kicked on for a monumental win that eclipsed a mark many observers expected to have stood for at least another 22 years.
Six women ran faster than four minutes. Hassan clocked a national record of 3:56.05 in second, while Shannon Rowbury broke the North American record with 3:56.29 in third.
“I think Tirunesh will be happy, all of Ethiopia will be happy,” added the sparkling eyes ever smiling of her older sister, who recently gave birth to her first child.
Kenya’s Olympic 3000m steeplechase champion Brimin Kipruto produced one of the great track performances of all time as he missed the seven-year-old world record by just one hundredth of a second.
A stupendous last lap of around 60 seconds was enough for the 25-year-old from Keiyo District to see off the lingering challenge of Kenya’s past and future Olympic champion, Ezekiel Kemboi and win in 7:53.64 – just shy of the 7:53.53 run at the 2004 Brussels meeting by Qatar’s Saif Saaeed Shaheen.
Okikiola Affolabi takes home Ethiopian PL Golden Boot
Nigerian marks man Okikiola Afolabi won 2018 Ethiopian Premier League season’s top scorer award by a mile. Fellow Nigerian Samuel Sanumi and Ghanaian international Al-Hasen Kalusha shared the runner up spot while Ethiopian Getaneh Kebede and Addis Geday finished a joint third.
The 23-year-old Ibadan-Nigeria born Okikiola not only stood top scorer of the league season but thanks to his 23 goal tally Jimma AbaBuna became the second regional side next to two time champion Hawassa to be crowned Ethiopian champion.
With a 5-0 thrashing of Adama on Monday, AbaJifar claimed the coveted championship title in goal differences and Okikiola with four goals to his name was hailed an overnight hero of Jimma the classical town 350 Km West of Addis Ababa.
The giant striker is considered the major component in AbaJifar’s dream title campaign for he scored 23 out of the total 39 goals the team managed to bag throughout the season. Fast to adopt the country, the football as well his playing partners Akikiola was also the most popular player in Jimma busy hugging and bustling with the town’s football fans. “It is because of Boss Gebremedin’s effort that I could easily mingle with the squad and his tactic is most favorable for my style. I am lucky in every way to be part of AbaJifar’s football history.”.
Samuel Sanumi and Electric’s one man army Al-Hasen Kalusha ended joint Silver Boot winners each with 13 goals while Dedebit’s Getaneh and Sidama’s Addis Geday shared the Bronze Boot each with 12 goals.
