CBE Ethiopian Premier League club Saint George has new leadership for the normalization committee that was set up to manage their ongoing period of crisis. The record Ethiopian champions have been hit hard by financial struggles and administrative crises, along with board chairman Abinet Gebremeskel’s resignation from his post last week.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF), the Addis Ababa Football Federation (AAFF), and the Addis Ababa City Youth and Sports Bureau facilitated the creation of this transitional committee after the club reached a point where it struggled to settle its financial obligations.
The committee will now be headed by Yonas Geremew, while Abebaw Zewede will serve as his deputy. Initially, the committee had ten members, but after the withdrawal of Neway Beyene, a long-serving member and secretary general of the Saint George board, it has been reduced to nine.
The committee is tasked with bringing short-term financial stability, running the club’s day-to-day activities, assisting the club in establishing new regulations, and convening a new elective general assembly within a few months. Saint George are currently in a relegation battle in the top flight, and the administrative problems have impacted the team’s performance.
The EFF has warned that sports disputes should be settled within the sports framework only, noting that it could ban Saint George if similar scenarios occur in the future. In an official statement, the federation said it has made FIFA aware of the situation. “However, if anyone tries to disrupt the work by taking a sporting dispute to a regular court, the Ethiopian Football Federation will suspend the Saint George Sports Association. We strongly urge you to fulfill your responsibilities properly, and we have informed FIFA of this matter.”
The normalization committee consists of three board members, while four are from the opposition camp. Two members are from a neutral camp that has been working to settle the dispute between the two opposing sides of the club.
(PAN-AFRICAN FOOTBALL)
