Fifa readmits Ethiopia federation

The Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF) has been readmitted to world football after elections for a new leadership were held on Saturday.
A three-man delegation from world football’s governing body, Fifa, said that they were “satisfied with the result”.

In-fighting at the EFF led to Ethiopia being thrown out of the qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations last July.

Sahlu Gebrewold Gebremariam was voted in as president of the EFF, replacing Dr Ashebir Woldegiorgis, who resigned in May.

Sahlu was the only candidate for president in Saturday’s elections for a new executive, as the two other contestants pulled out the previous day.

He said that his priority is to heal the rift in the game in the country and to “facilitate a renaissance in Ethiopian football”.

There was a mood of relief at the meeting, and loud clapping when the head of the Fifa delegation handed over a Fifa flag to the newly-elected president of the EFF.