FIFA To Receive Report On Ethiopian Football

FIFA Vice president and CAF president Issa Hayatou © MTNfootball.com

February 25, 2009

FIFA´s Executive Committee will receive a report on Ethiopian football next month, following a joint FIFA/CAF mission to the country last week.

The Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF) is currently suspended from all FIFA and CAF activities.

At its Executive Committee meeting in Tokyo in December, FIFA accepted an invitation extended by the Minister of Sport Mrs Aster Mamo to discuss the implementation of a roadmap for the return of the EFF to the football family.

Two core elements to the progression of such a roadmap as outlined by FIFA and CAF were: the return of the Ethiopian Football Federation´s headquarters to EFF President Dr Ashebir Woldegiorgis and the immediate convening of a General Assembly, upon the return of the EFF headquarters.

In order to ensure that the views and opinions of the myriad of stakeholders involved in Ethiopian football were able to be expressed, the FIFA/CAF mission met last weekend with the State Minister of Sport, the State Minister for Foreign Affairs, as well as with the EFF President, members of football clubs, the Coaches Association and the Referees Association. These meetings included discussions with stakeholders who oppose the current EFF President.

FIFA was represented by Associations Committee member Harold Mayne-Nicholls, who is the President of the Chilean Football Federation, while CAF was represented by its Executive Committee member Adoum Djibrine. They were accompanied by FIFA´s Director of Member Associations and Development Thierry Regenass.

The FIFA Executive Committee will next meet in Zurich on March 19-20.