The five time Ethiopian Premier League top scorer Tafesse Tesfaye returned to Ethio-Electric for his second spell while one of the league’s most expensive players Dawit Estifanos left Fasil along with two other players.
He returned after ten seasons including winning top scorer with Adama in 2015 after he scored 15 goals. He is known more for his physical play than his technical ability and came through the ranks to play for Ethio-Electric in 2001 before stints with Ethiopia Bunna, Hawassa and Adama and the national team. Now, at 34 he is past his prime but Ashenafi Bekele gave the striker a life line at Electric handing him a one year contract. Signing Binyam Assefa at the start of the season and now Tafesse Tesfaye the relegation threatened Ethio-Electric appear to be a fertile grazing land for veteran players.
In other news Dawit Estifanos, who makes 200,000 a month, Uganda international striker Robert Sentengo and defender Abel Wedu parted ways with Fasil.
The three players who pocketed millions at the start of the season are on their way out of the club without any explanation. Fasil is financed by the tax payers’ money so the arrangement should be known.

Despite winning three Premier League titles and sporting a head coach from Portugal who oversees six foreign players and the best local talent money can buy, Saint George sits in fourth place, its lowest spot in 14 seasons.
They were shocked by Hawassa 4-1 to end the first half of the season and currently are six points behind league leading Dedebt. Add to that Wednesday’s lackluster goalless performance against humble Ugandan visitors KCCA many fans are wondering what the point of spending all that money was.
With the squad and coach they have it seemed likely they would win their fourth title, however they are in danger of slipping completely out of contention.  Just two days ago the players took home four million birr in incentive pay before their game against the small team from Uganda.
The demolition at the hands of Hawassa is unusual and seems more than just a fluke. Instead it seems like the decline of a team that has only five wins, eight draws and two defeats. Hawassa not only won the day but in style after a full time domination accompanied with four marvelous goals.
Some suggest the problem is the training method used by head coach Pinto, while quite a lot others are fingering senior players for lack of discipline, motivation and a winning spirit. Still others blame the board for favoritism and special babysitting treatment. “It is up to the attitude of some big name players towards the squad and the coach that we lost in humiliation. I think we have no hope in the Champions League return leg and have already lost the chance to retain the title,” remarked one supporter who had had a rough time traveling to watch the Hawassa match. “It is better to kick-off a better and long term plan for the club’s future,” he added.

Whatever the final result after the return away leg against African giant Zamalek, debutant Wolayta Dicha wrote a new and long inspiring chapter in the club’s less than a decade history. Rookie head coach Zenebe Fiseha on the hot seat and a squad hardly with international football experience, the 2-1 first leg home victory in front of a jubilant 60,000 spectators is heroic with a story to tell grandchildren around evening fires. Each Dicha Player received a 20,000 Birr bonus for their heroic performance.
The over confident Zamalek starting slow yet with some early goal efforts, Wolayta Dicha went on with attacking football from the whistle. Man of the match Bezabeh Meleyo’s marvelous volley past the visitors’ goalie at the 14th minute was amazing. It took only twelve minutes for the visitors’ equalizer from Emad Fathy who capitalized from Teklu Tafesse’s defensive blunder.
Back from the changing room Dicha alas “Bee of Tona” was pressing for a winner while the five time African champions opted for a cautious defensive play to go back home sharing a point. However had it not been for goalie Wondwosen Germew’s two superb saves “The White Knights” could have gone home with all three points. Nevertheless 15 minutes into the stoppage time Bezabeh once again in action set up Yared Dawit to a magnificent winner thus the historic 2-1 victory to Dicha.
“It is all about the return leg in Suez and I am sure we will claim a big home victory in ten days” remarked Zamalek head coach Ehab Galal after the match. “I admire the fan’s amazing performance and wish the best to Wolayta” he added.
On his part Dicha’s overnight hero Coach Zenebe told reporters that considering their effort they deserved better. “I am happy setting our supporters to cloud nine and confident of better performance in Suez,” Zenebe suggested

In an unexpected move, the world football governing body, FIFA, extended the date of the Ethiopian Football Federation Presidential and Executive Committee Election to mid-March. In a statement citing the shortage of human power FIFA suggested that they will send observers in mid-March, without specifying the date.
This was the fifth change of the election date in the span of three months. At first the election was set to take place on November 10-11, 2017 but postponed to December 25 due to the intervention of the world football governing body, FIFA.
According to FIFA’s election procedures all national federations that plan to conduct a General Assembly and presidential election to establish a new administration are expected to notify the international football governing body 30 days before the actual election takes place.
When the national federations plan to elect the president and executive committee members, the FIFA procedure states, an independent Electoral Committee must be set up to carry out the process of the election.
In the Ethiopian case the national federation notified FIFA a week before the date of the Presidential election and it was confirmed that the Electoral Committee was not set up. So FIFA ordered the EFF to change the date and form an independent Electoral Committee. Due to this the EFF extended the date for December 25.
“One of the four founding members of African Football that has produced the likes of  the late Yedenekachew Tessema who presided on the continent’s football for 15 years, calling FIFA to intervene in the election shows our football governing body is inefficient and ineffective,”  a critic suggested.