Opinion| The Issue with Football Pitch In BetKing Ethiopian Premier League Must be Addressed Immediately

The BetKing Ethiopian Premier League has reached match day 17 but only one game took place during the last couple of days. The reason was the condition of the pitch at Diredawa Stadium ( putting the commonly used international tag wouldn’t be suitable here). Due to heavy rain the pitch has become unplayable and the games have started to look nothing like a football match.

In these conditions it’s clear that neither passing nor shooting is possible. The players will be covered in mud from head to toe and forced to spend more energy than necessary to try and play. Even worse playing under such circumstances can expose the players to injury.

The Premier League company decided on Monday to call off the rest of Match Day 17 fixtures. The league will resume in a different city after the international break following Ethiopian national team’s games against Guinea.

The decision to postpone the games looks like the right call but more should be done to insure quality of playing pitch is in keeping with the standard.

The national team has already been a victim of lack of a stadium that meets the standards set by CAF and as such being forced to play home games away from home ( the latest ‘home game’ will be held in Morocco). And now clubs are being burdened financially because of games not taking place as expected. Furthermore, the fact that the league games are supposed to be shown live on DSTV but aren’t is also another headache for the league company and clubs alike.

Issues with playing pitch should be addressed immediately. The financial repercussions it can have in the league is immense. In addition to that it’s putting the legitimacy of the whole competition under huge question mark.

The Ethiopian Football Federation, Ministry of Sports and Regional Sports Ministers should work together and efficiently to address this issue. Otherwise all the positive strides this league has taken in terms of broadcasting rights, sponsorship and viewership will go down the drain.

Betking EthPL

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Round 1
30 Sep 2022 13:00
WOLKITE
1
0
AMK
30 Sep 2022 16:00
BAHIRDAR
2
1
ELCETRIC
1 Oct 2022 13:00
MEDIN
1
7
GIORGIS
1 Oct 2022 16:00
DIRE
2
2
SIDAMA
2 Oct 2022 13:00
DICHA
0
0
BUNNA
2 Oct 2022 16:00
HAWASSA
1
2
TAFO
3 Oct 2022 13:00
FASIL
2
1
ADAMA
3 Oct 2022 16:00
MECHAL
1
0
HOSSANA
Round 2
5 Oct 2022 13:00
BAHIRDAR
0
1
WOLKITE
5 Oct 2022 16:00
AMK
3
4
MEDIN
6 Oct 2022 13:00
ELCETRIC
0
1
GIORGIS
6 Oct 2022 16:00
TAFO
1
1
DIRE
7 Oct 2022 13:00
HOSSANA
4
1
SIDAMA
7 Oct 2022 16:00
ADAMA
2
0
MECHAL
10 Oct 2022 16:00
BUNNA
1
2
HAWASSA
4 Dec 2022 16:00
DICHA
1
0
FASIL
Round 3
12 Oct 2022 16:00
MECHAL
1
2
AMK
13 Oct 2022 13:00
DICHA
1
1
ELCETRIC
13 Oct 2022 16:00
SIDAMA
1
5
GIORGIS
14 Oct 2022 13:00
MEDIN
4
1
TAFO
14 Oct 2022 16:00
HAWASSA
0
1
ADAMA
15 Oct 2022 13:00
DIRE
1
3
HOSSANA
15 Oct 2022 16:00
WOLKITE
0
1
BUNNA
29 Oct 2022 16:00
FASIL
0
0
BAHIRDAR
Round 4
18 Oct 2022 13:00
ADAMA
1
2
GIORGIS
18 Oct 2022 16:00
WOLKITE
3
4
HAWASSA
19 Oct 2022 13:00
AMK
0
0
HOSSANA
19 Oct 2022 16:00
BAHIRDAR
1
1
DIRE
20 Oct 2022 13:00
BUNNA
1
0
SIDAMA
20 Oct 2022 16:00
ELCETRIC
3
0
TAFO
21 Oct 2022 13:00
FASIL
0
1
MECHAL
21 Oct 2022 16:00
DICHA
0
1
MEDIN
Round 5
24 Oct 2022 13:00
HAWASSA
2
2
DIRE
24 Oct 2022 16:00
ELCETRIC
2
2
ADAMA
25 Oct 2022 13:00
WOLKITE
0
1
SIDAMA
25 Oct 2022 16:00
FASIL
1
0
GIORGIS
26 Oct 2022 13:00
BAHIRDAR
2
0
TAFO
26 Oct 2022 16:00
MECHAL
1
2
MEDIN
27 Oct 2022 13:00
DICHA
0
1
HOSSANA
27 Oct 2022 16:00
BUNNA
2
0
AMK
Round 6
4 Nov 2022 16:00
MEDIN
2
3
BAHIRDAR
4 Nov 2022 19:00
DIRE
3
1
BUNNA
5 Nov 2022 16:00
MECHAL
0
1
DICHA
5 Nov 2022 19:00
WOLKITE
2
1
ELCETRIC
6 Nov 2022 16:00
HAWASSA
2
0
FASIL
6 Nov 2022 19:00
GIORGIS
1
1
AMK
7 Nov 2022 16:00
SIDAMA
2
0
ADAMA
7 Nov 2022 19:00
HOSSANA
1
0
TAFO
Round 7
10 Nov 2022 16:00
GIORGIS
2
2
WOLKITE
10 Nov 2022 19:00
DIRE
1
1
MECHAL
11 Nov 2022 16:00
MEDIN
2
0
ELCETRIC
11 Nov 2022 19:00
SIDAMA
0
1
HAWASSA
12 Nov 2022 16:00
AMK
0
2
BAHIRDAR
12 Nov 2022 19:00
HOSSANA
0
0
FASIL
13 Nov 2022 16:00
ADAMA
0
3
BUNNA
13 Nov 2022 19:00
TAFO
3
4
DICHA
Round 8
16 Nov 2022 16:00
HOSSANA
2
2
HAWASSA
16 Nov 2022 19:00
SIDAMA
0
4
MEDIN
17 Nov 2022 16:00
ADAMA
1
2
DICHA
17 Nov 2022 19:00
GIORGIS
0
0
MECHAL
18 Nov 2022 16:00
BUNNA
1
3
BAHIRDAR
18 Nov 2022 19:00
DIRE
2
1
ELCETRIC
19 Nov 2022 16:00
AMK
1
1
FASIL
19 Nov 2022 19:00
TAFO
0
3
WOLKITE
Round 9
22 Nov 2022 16:00
MECHAL
0
2
SIDAMA
22 Nov 2022 19:00
HAWASSA
0
3
GIORGIS
23 Nov 2022 16:00
MEDIN
1
3
DIRE
23 Nov 2022 19:00
ELCETRIC
2
4
BUNNA
24 Nov 2022 16:00
WOLKITE
0
0
HOSSANA
24 Nov 2022 19:00
DICHA
0
0
AMK
25 Nov 2022 16:00
FASIL
3
0
TAFO
25 Nov 2022 19:00
BAHIRDAR
1
0
ADAMA
Round 10
28 Nov 2022 16:00
MECHAL
1
1
ELCETRIC
28 Nov 2022 19:00
MEDIN
0
0
HAWASSA
29 Nov 2022 16:00
DIRE
2
2
WOLKITE
29 Nov 2022 19:00
SIDAMA
2
4
FASIL
30 Nov 2022 16:00
GIORGIS
3
0
DICHA
30 Nov 2022 19:00
HOSSANA
0
2
BAHIRDAR
1 Dec 2022 16:00
TAFO
2
2
BUNNA
1 Dec 2022 19:00
AMK
1
0
ADAMA
Round 11
6 Dec 2022 16:00
ADAMA
3
0
TAFO
6 Dec 2022 19:00
BAHIRDAR
0
0
GIORGIS
7 Dec 2022 16:00
ELCETRIC
2
2
AMK
7 Dec 2022 19:00
HAWASSA
0
2
MECHAL
8 Dec 2022 16:00
BUNNA
0
1
HOSSANA
8 Dec 2022 19:00
WOLKITE
1
2
MEDIN
10 Dec 2022 19:00
FASIL
1
2
DIRE
12 Feb 2023 17:00
DICHA
1
1
SIDAMA
Round 12
12 Dec 2022 14:00
MECHAL
1
1
WOLKITE
12 Dec 2022 18:00
HOSSANA
0
0
ADAMA
13 Dec 2022 15:00
DIRE
0
1
DICHA
13 Dec 2022 18:00
SIDAMA
1
1
BAHIRDAR
14 Dec 2022 15:00
HAWASSA
1
0
ELCETRIC
14 Dec 2022 18:00
GIORGIS
1
1
BUNNA
15 Dec 2022 15:00
MEDIN
0
0
FASIL
15 Dec 2022 18:00
TAFO
1
1
AMK
Round 13
16 Dec 2022 15:00
BAHIRDAR
2
3
MECHAL
16 Dec 2022 18:00
ELCETRIC
0
0
HOSSANA
17 Dec 2022 15:00
FASIL
0
0
WOLKITE
17 Dec 2022 18:00
BUNNA
0
1
MEDIN
18 Dec 2022 15:00
ADAMA
2
0
DIRE
18 Dec 2022 18:00
DICHA
1
1
HAWASSA
19 Dec 2022 15:00
TAFO
0
4
GIORGIS
19 Dec 2022 18:00
AMK
3
3
SIDAMA
Round 14
16 Feb 2023 16:00
MEDIN
2
2
ADAMA
16 Feb 2023 19:00
DIRE
1
3
AMK
17 Feb 2023 16:00
HAWASSA
1
1
BAHIRDAR
17 Feb 2023 19:00
FASIL
2
1
ELCETRIC
18 Feb 2023 16:00
SIDAMA
2
0
TAFO
18 Feb 2023 19:00
GIORGIS
1
0
HOSSANA
19 Feb 2023 16:00
MECHAL
3
3
BUNNA
19 Feb 2023 19:00
WOLKITE
1
0
DICHA
Round 15
23 Feb 2023 16:00
AMK
1
1
HAWASSA
23 Feb 2023 19:00
ADAMA
3
1
WOLKITE
24 Feb 2023 16:00
HOSSANA
0
1
MEDIN
24 Feb 2023 19:00
TAFO
0
3
MECHAL
Forfiet
25 Feb 2023 16:00
ELCETRIC
0
1
SIDAMA
25 Feb 2023 19:00
BUNNA
1
1
FASIL
26 Feb 2023 16:00
GIORGIS
2
1
DIRE
26 Feb 2023 19:00
BAHIRDAR
0
0
DICHA
Round 16
2 Mar 2023 16:00
HOSSANA
1
2
MECHAL
6 Mar 2023 16:00
TAFO
0
1
HAWASSA
6 Mar 2023 19:00
BUNNA
0
0
DICHA
7 Mar 2023 16:00
SIDAMA
0
2
DIRE
7 Mar 2023 19:00
GIORGIS
2
1
MEDIN
8 Mar 2023 16:00
ELCETRIC
1
3
BAHIRDAR
8 Mar 2023 19:00
ADAMA
2
1
FASIL
9 Mar 2023 19:00
AMK
2
2
WOLKITE
Round 17
11 Mar 2023 16:00
HAWASSA
0
0
BUNNA
1 Apr 2023 15:00
MECHAL
-
-
ADAMA
1 Apr 2023 18:00
SIDAMA
-
-
HOSSANA
2 Apr 2023 15:00
FASIL
-
-
DICHA
2 Apr 2023 18:00
GIORGIS
-
-
ELCETRIC
3 Apr 2023 15:00
MEDIN
-
-
AMK
3 Apr 2023 18:00
DIRE
-
-
TAFO
4 Apr 2023 15:00
WOLKITE
-
-
BAHIRDAR
Round 18
7 Apr 2023 15:00
GIORGIS
-
-
SIDAMA
7 Apr 2023 18:00
AMK
-
-
MECHAL
8 Apr 2023 15:00
BUNNA
-
-
WOLKITE
8 Apr 2023 18:00
BAHIRDAR
-
-
FASIL
9 Apr 2023 15:00
ADAMA
-
-
HAWASSA
9 Apr 2023 18:00
ELCETRIC
-
-
DICHA
10 Apr 2023 15:00
HOSSANA
-
-
DIRE
10 Apr 2023 18:00
TAFO
-
-
MEDIN
Round 19
13 Apr 2023 15:00
HAWASSA
-
-
WOLKITE
13 Apr 2023 18:00
SIDAMA
-
-
BUNNA
14 Apr 2023 15:00
DIRE
-
-
BAHIRDAR
14 Apr 2023 18:00
HOSSANA
-
-
AMK
15 Apr 2023 15:00
TAFO
-
-
ELCETRIC
15 Apr 2023 18:00
GIORGIS
-
-
ADAMA
16 Apr 2023 15:00
MEDIN
-
-
DICHA
16 Apr 2023 18:00
MECHAL
-
-
FASIL
Round 20
19 Apr 2023 15:00
AMK
-
-
BUNNA
19 Apr 2023 18:00
TAFO
-
-
BAHIRDAR
20 Apr 2023 15:00
MEDIN
-
-
MECHAL
20 Apr 2023 18:00
HOSSANA
-
-
DICHA
21 Apr 2023 15:00
ADAMA
-
-
ELCETRIC
21 Apr 2023 18:00
SIDAMA
-
-
WOLKITE
22 Apr 2023 15:00
GIORGIS
-
-
FASIL
22 Apr 2023 18:00
DIRE
-
-
HAWASSA

Standing Table

#
Player
Played
Goals
1
Kidus Giorgis
16
16
2
Wolkite Ketema
16
12
3
Diredawa Ketema
16
8
4
Ethiopia Medin
13
7
5
Hawassa Ketema
14
7
6
Fasil Kenema
14
7
7
Sidama Bunna
15
7
8
Arba Minch Ketema
12
6
9
Ethiopia Bunna
17
6
10
Diredawa Ketema
13
5

Competitions

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Ethiopian Higher League
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Ethiopian League 1
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Ethiopian Women's Higher League
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Ethiopian Womens Premier League
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U-20 Premier League
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