Two contrasting performance by the Walias

Addis Ababa – Ethiopian soccer fans saw two contrasting performance by their national soccer team “Walias” against the Fennecs of Algeria in a span of 4 days.

Following their 7-1 humiliating defeat in Blida on Friday, the Walias almost turned the table around but had to settle to a 3-3 draw in Addis Ababa on Tuesday. This was a match that they could have won and collected 3 points instead of 1 had it not been once again for the silly mistakes committed by the defensive line.

While the team could not avenge the humiliating defeat, the great performance that they put up in the return leg match, forced soccer fans and the local media to question why the team lacks consistency.

The Addis Ababa-based bi-weekly English newspaper The Reporter talked to former Walias’ head coach Asrat Haile and former Ethiopian Insurance FC player Milesha Gugsa, who currently works as a sports commentator for Bisrat FM 101.1 radio station.

Asrat Haile: “The Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF) should change its structure regarding coaching, training and should work at a grass-root level. Our football is not structured and cannot maintain consistency,” he says. Asrat also blames EFF officials for not having the passion for football. “Some have not eve played football in their entire lives,” he noted.

Milesha Gugsa on his part believes that consistency comes from working with the players from the early days of their careers. “Developing players’ tactical, physical and psychological fitness is very important to beg consistent,” he says.

“In Ethiopian football the concept of coaching is not clear. When one coach is appointed for the national team it does not mean that he should work on every activity related to football in the country. We need to have various experts at club-level and the EFF,” Milesha says.

Read more at: The Reporter