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.