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New Ethiopian Football federation management succumb to FIFA request

APA - The new management of the Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF) on Tuesday agreed to step down, following the acceptance of FIFA’s road map this week to resolve the Ethiopian football crisis.

It is to be recalled that the EFF was under pressure since July 2008 from FIFA and CAF to accept the road map, which urged it to halt its activities and restore the former management.

FIFA suspended Ethiopia since July 2008 after the EFF was involved in a dispute where the former management and executive committee were replaced by a new management.

The new management, which was under pressure from FIFA accepted on Saturday FIFA’s road map, which called for the halt to its activities.

The decision by the federation is expected to lead to the lifting of the sanctions imposed on Ethiopia by FIFA and CAF from the international football forum.

The former president of EFF, Dr. Ashebir Woldegiorgisse on Monday was allowed to collect his documents from the EFF office as was requested by FIFA.

The disagreement between the EFF and FIFA started last year when the EFF appointed a new president after sacking the former president and his management.

Since then FIFA has been asking the EFF to restore the former president together with other committee members.

However, the EFF ignore such calls and continued its activities with the appointment of a new president, which forced FIFA to take the decision to suspend Ethiopia from all international games.

The EFF elected Ahmed Yasin as new president, replacing Dr Ashebir Woldegiorgis. However, FIFA refused to accept the new management saying the process was carried out illegally.

FIFA insisted that either the former president was to continue with his duty or a new election be held after 45 days in the presence of FIFA and CAF observers.

Ethiopia joined FIFA in 1952 and CAF in 1957.