Football in Ethiopia is extremely popular. Millions in fact are glued to their TV screens whenever there are football matches, particularly if it is the national team that is in display. They congest stadiums. They line up for hours in search of a ticket. They endure any kind of hardship that they find along their way but they are adamant in their passion to be part of the football world!
Various European leagues are also very much in the leisure programs of youths with feverish interest in the English Premier League. Jerseys of Arsenal, Man United and Barcelona are quite commonly worn by Ethiopian youths on the streets or the clubs’ images in stickers are glued on transport facilities such as taxis.
However, unfortunately, the passion of Ethiopians for football is not matched by the performance of the National team. Nor do the single clubs exhibit anything palatable to a demanding audience. The league is ‘semiprofessional’ but the expenses are very high. And yet at club formation level, Ethiopia is among the pioneers in Africa. In fact, St George Football Club is now more than eighty years old; but it has yet to win an African trophy, even at the sub regional level. Locally it has been dominating the league with fourteen national titles out of twenty!
Similarly, the Ethiopian Football Federation is among the founders of the African Football Confederation, CAF, along with Egypt and Sudan when most of the other African countries did not even think about it or did not even exist as sovereign states.
And Ethiopian national Yidnekachew Tessema is considered by many as ‘the father of African football’. Ethiopian Sport owes everything to this astute polyglot diplomat who managed it to excellence. Many may not be aware but Yidnekachew was a real giant in African football fighting for its rights even at the FIFA level. He was considered a reformer while leading the Confederation first as vice president (1964-72) and then president (1972-87) for more than two decades. He was also member of the African Sport Congress, the International Olympics Committee, FIFA and President of the African Olympics Committee.
In early days, Ethiopia did manage to win one African Cup of Nations under Yidnekachew in 1962. I was fortunate enough to be a living witness at the specific event which was presided by the then Emperor. I still remember the electric atmosphere in the stadium and the huge crowd overflowing outside following the match through the radio. When the fourth goal was scored in extra time and sanctioned the victory of Ethiopia over Egypt 4-2, my father and his friend threw me up in the sky in jubilation. Their anguish had terminated and there was a collective euphoria among fans across the country. They were indescribable moments and unprecedented!
What is sad is that since then Ethiopia has never had any glory at that level, leaving aside the wins at the regional level in what is called the CECAFA Challenge Cup, a competition snubbed by many and with little resonance. As a matter of fact, even that competition has now become beyond the reach of Ethiopia.
The days of the African Cup of Nations victory have gone to oblivion as they have not been refreshed by new successes. This is a source of frustration among fans. People need and expect a lot from their national team; but conditions are such that things have been going backwards rather than forward. A few years ago Ethiopia was placed around 80th in the FIFA rankings, but now it has gone down to around 150th ! This by itself shows the regression.
And yet the paradox is that the appetite for football among Ethiopians is insatiable and permanent. People never despair about their national side and they continue to line up to have an entrance ticket. Thousands begin to crowd the gates beginning the eve of the match unimpressed by neither the chill nor the heatwaves!
Many wonder why people are so passionate about football which is practically inexistent, in many respects, and yet the payments for the players taking part in the local leagues have skyrocketed. This has attracted even foreign players. Currently, more than forty are playing in Ethiopian leagues. The Ethiopian Football Federation officials are fond of saying that football in Ethiopia has made progress alleging that it has managed to attract foreigners. However, critics say that on the contrary this shows how mediocre the level of football is when they see that even modest foreign players are imported and paid huge sums in remuneration. Last year, it was found out that of all the sixteen premier league teams only the Defence Forces Team or Mekelakeya did not have foreign players. And all but this team has their goalkeepers in foreign hands. So much so that Ethiopia now has the challenge of availing a well-trained goalie for the national team!
What is more, football facilities remain mediocre, the pitches are rough, and the stadiums are not of international standard. Lately several huge stadiums are nearing completion with immense government expenses but the human element, the management leave a lot to be desired.
National teams that we used to soundly beat some years ago are now ‘our masters’. While African football has made tremendous progress ours has lagged behind and the results of matches do not lie.
Explanations may vary why this is the case, but the fact remains that it is almost on an embarrassing level, especially when we consider that we are a nation of more than a hundred million people with the majority consisting of youths!
While football’s growth in practically every corner of the world is undeniable, and satellite TV has brought it to everyone’s home, our teams are way behind in this sector. It is all about standards and yet definitely in terms of passion it could be rated among the first on the continent. This is witnessed by football officials when they come here to witness tournaments.
In 2013 when the African Cup of Nations was held in South Africa, Ethiopian fans were among the most colorful and enthusiastic ones who were a beauty of the stadiums. Even for sub-regional contests stadiums are always full to capacity. You hardly find empty stadiums when there are tournaments. Just recently Bayern Munich expressed its wish to come here and open a football academy. Good news!
However, currently football here is facing severe challenges as political elements seem to have infiltrated it. Some say it may be the effect of transition and a newly rising sentiment of regionalism. It is affecting the choice of managers and even referees in running the league. Controversies have been strife and followed by mob violence and it seems that it has reached crisis level with accusation against the Ethiopian Football Federation considered not up to the task of managing such a complicated body. Scheduling the matches has been its Achilles Heel the whole season and clubs have accused it of being unfair. Just recently the most famous club has threatened to leave the league and seek a new arrangement if its demands are not met. The impasse has put the Federation in a crisis and many are longing the intervention of the government even at the cost of a risk of penalties from FIFA. Otherwise fans will be alienated and there can’t be football without supporters.
In a recent intervention by the premier in parliament this was expressly mentioned and there are severe risks that the government coffers may be closed for all the lavish expenses that the national football has been subjecting taxpayers’ money. The premier was heard saying that the clubs were not self-sufficient and if the government stopped funding them even for a month, they would wither away.
And this is almost totally true. Except a couple of clubs, all the others are dependent on government budget! The organisation in terms of merchandising and branding teams is still in infancy stage. The management and administration of the clubs and more importantly the Federation is left to the mercy of amateurs.
Observers question how on earth could the management of a league where hundreds of millions of birr are spent every year be left to amateurs? Is it passion that manages football or competence? And yet Ethiopia avails two of the best referees on the continent in Bamlak Tessema and Lidiya Tafesse, currently a consolation for Ethiopians who feel represented by these professionals in international arena!
To sum up, one can say that Ethiopian football is now in serious trouble with the Federation facing a vote of no confidence from many clubs. The threats of fans’ discontent and violence, the risk of politicization of matches have damaged its credibility. Taking this crisis as a blessing in disguise, the Federation needs to consult all stakeholders and seek and adopt radical solutions in conformity with FIFA and CAF rules. Sport needs to be insulated from politics. The premier has noted the other day if things continue with the current pace, not only will there be no football but even conditions for its inception and growth would vanish. That is why Ethiopian football needs to be pulled up from its deathbed.
The Ethiopian Herald July 14, 2019
BY FITSUM GETACHEW
