The interim electoral committee made official the candidates name running for the election of the executive committee membership seat of Ethiopian Football Federation. Despite having the right to have more than a single candidate, Southern region, Ethio-Somali, Diredawa, Afar, Bensangul and Harari sent one candidate each while Addis Ababa represented by three candidates. Some of the candidates including former national head coach Sewnet Bishaw are hardly belong to the place they are representing.
Coming together for two days to deliberate on the records submitted by candidates, the electoral interim committee announced the sixteen legible personalities running for EFF’s ten seat executive committee members to serve the nation for the next four year terms. Though the tussling and bustling is in a high swing many critics suggest that since the trend shows that the outgoing executive body is better than the incoming, football fans are expecting nothing out of the current election.
Blamed by the incumbent executive body for that huge blunder concerning Women’s football Yosef Tesfaye, former Ethiopian national team player turned successful coach Asrat Haile and Engineer Haileyesus Fisseha are from Addis Ababa. Dedebit FC founder Colonel Awol Abdurahim and Woldegebriel Mezegebu from Tigray, Dr Haili Etecha and Kemal Hussein from Oromia while Sewnet Bishaw and Dr Sirak H/Mariam from Amhara.
The only women candidate Sofia Almamun (Benshangul), members of the outgoing cabinet Abebe Gelagay, Zerihun Kekebo and Alimirah Mohammed from Diredawa, Southern region and Afar respectively, Ibrahim Ahmed (Harari) and Abdulrazak Hasan (Ethio-Somali) are the full list of the candidates running for ten seats
Sixteen candidates for EFF Executive body
Five to vie for EFF presidency
The Ethiopian Football Federation National General Assembly will convene on December 24, in Semera and the Election Interim Committee officially announced the five contenders for the EFF Presidential election race. Ato Essayas Jirra and Ato Dagem Molashe are new candidates. They joined the fiercest Presidential race ever in Ethiopian Football history.
Incumbent EFF President Juneidin Basha, former EFF Vice President Teka Asfaw from Amhara, Olympic Committee President Dr. Asheber W/Giorgis from Southern Regional State are the front runners while Ato Anteneh Feleke’s replacement from Oromia Ato Essayas Jirra and Ato Dagem Molashe from Gambela are fresh to the cut throat race.
Though a strong contention is expected to take place among the three front runners, football fans would like to see new blood. “ Juneidin and his cabinet are the worst in Federation history, AtoTeka had a chance but there is nothing to be remembered from his Vice Presidency and Dr. Asheber’s reign was so chaotic that Ethiopia was handed a two year ban from the international stage so the choices are between the lesser of two evils and the other two are unknown and simply there for window dressing.
Ethiopia face Uganda in Cecafa group final matches today
The half-baked Ethiopian Waliya-Antelopes faces 14 time Cecafa defending champions Uganda in the group stage final match today at Kakamega Stadium. Burundi, which is already in the final, encounters bottom of the group South Sudan.
After a 3-1 group opening match victory over South Sudan, football fans were in high expectation of Ashenafi Bekele’s squad in the big clash on Thursday against Burundi. With two wins, one draw and one loss in their previous four encounters, Ethiopia was the pre match hot favorite to take all three points. But a three goal second half avalanche from well-organized Burundi destroyed the Waliyas 4-1 the first ever Cecafa crushing defeat since the 3-0 loss to Uganda 15 years ago.
Though the national team’s popularity reaches to its worst ever level, nearly half of the players are new faces and the organization for the event so poor; there appears no justification for the humiliating defeat. “We are sorry for the poor result but hope we will learn from the defeat and try to perform better against Uganda,” assistant coach Zerihun Shengeta told reporters.
“It may be very harsh to condemn and make Ashenfi accountable for the free fall. It is the reflection of everything that went wrong in the sport,” one critic suggested. A win is the only option for the Waliyas to get through to the group stage final match today against regional mighty side Uganda, popularly known “The Cranes”. With central defender Theodros Bekele out for injury and custodian Tarik Getenet likely to be stranded on the bench following his blunders on Thursday, Ashenafi might face an uphill to get away with three points yet it is a must win situation for him.
Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele leads 25K run
hree-time Olympic gold-medalist Kenisa Bekele will be the star attraction in the fourth Kolkata 25K run next Sunday. The long-distance runner will, for the first time, compete in a 25K race. The Ethiopian great’s best 25K effort is 1:12:47, an intermediate time route winning the Berlin Marathon 2016.
The existing 25K world record is held by Kenya’s Denis Kimetto (1:11:18 in 2012) and the men’s flock could see Tanzanian Augustine Sulle emerge as the dark horse for the meet. A multiple world record holder Bekele was the world’s fastest Marathon runner in 2016 only five seconds shy of the world record.
Helah Kiprop will lead the women’s pack, with Valentine Kipketer and young Dibabe Kuma giving her tough competition. Helah is well-known in India, she was the TCS World 10k Champion in 2012 and she won Cochin Half Marathon in 2013.
In 2015 she won the silver medal at the World Marathon Championships in Beijing and in 2016 she won the prestigious Tokyo marathon. She took third places in last year’s Delhi half marathon and this year’s Bangalore 10k.
MEN ELITE ATHLETES:
Kenenisa Bekele (ETH), Robert Chemonges (UGA), Augustino Sulle (TAN), Michael Mazibuko (RSA), Tsegay Tuemay (ERI), Stefano La Rosa (ITA), Clement Langat (KEN), Dickson Marwa (TAN).
WOMEN ELITE ATHLETES:
Helah Kiprop (KEN), Valentine Kipketer (KEN), Dibabe Kuma (ETH), Failuna Matanga (TAN), Nazret Weldu (ERI), Bornes Kitur (KEN), Eunice Jeptoo (KEN), Degitu Azimeraw (ETH).
