Ethiopia kick-starts CECAFA preps

Ethiopia team for the upcoming CECAFA Senior Challenge kicked-off preparations Wednesday at Addis Ababa Stadium under guidance of head coach Ashenafi Bekele.

On Monday night, Ashenafi, summoned 27 players for the regional tourney slated for Kenya from 3rd to 19th December but only 22 showed up for the first day training.

Nine of them were handed maiden call ups, all of the playing in the Ethiopian Premier League.

Keen not to interfere with the ongoing EPL calendar, Ashenafi has called two players each from eleven clubs and one each from the remaining five.

The team will break camp to allow players to return to their respective clubs for weekend’s league fixtures.

Overall Ashenafi has gone for a young team save for a few old faces like Abebaw Butako and Tesfaye Albachew.

He will name a final team of 23 in the coming days for the trip to Nairobi.

Ethiopia are pulled in group B alongside defending champions Uganda, Zimbabwe, South Sudan and Burundi.

The Squad:

Goalkeepers

Tarike Getnet (Dedebit), Bereket Amare (Welwalo Adigrat University), Tekelemariam Shanko (Hawassa Ketema)

Defenders

Girma Bekele (Ethio-Electric), Amsalu Tilahun (Fasil Ketema), Abebaw Butako (Kidus Giorgis), Anagawe Badege (Dire Dawa Ketema), Temesgen Castro (ArbaMinch Ketema), Tewodros Bekele (Mekelakeya), Abebe Tilahun (Sidama Bunna), Henok Adugna (Jimma Aba Jifar)

Midfielders

Samson Tilahun, Mesude Mohammed (Both from Ethiopia Bunna), Tesfaye Alebachew, Biruk Kalbore (Both from Woldia SC), Knean Markneh (Adama Ketema), Endale Kebede (ArbaMinch Ketema), Behailu Teshager (Ethio-Electric), Yonas Geremew (Jimma Aba Jifar), Firew Solomon (Hawassa Ketema)

Strikers

Abdulrahaman Mubarak (Fasil Ketema), Abubakher Sanni (Kidus Giorgis), Addis Gidey (Sidama Bunna), Tsegaye Birhanu (Wolaitta Dicha), Amnauel GebreMikael (Mekele Ketema), Abel Yalew (Dedebit), Dawa Hotessa (Adama Ketema)

Source”: Soka25east.com