About 200 people went to the RFK Stadium in Washington DC on Monday to watch the soccer tournament that is organized by the Ethiopian Sports Federation in North America (ESFNA).
The Stadium, that has a capacity to accommodate 26,000 spectators, looked empty through out the day.
Less than 10,000 people attended the ESFNA opening event
in RFK Stadium on June 29, 2008
Even at the opening ceremony yesterday, according to various reports, less than 1/3 of the stadium was filled. That is less than 10,000 people in a city where over 150,000 Ethiopians reside. In previous years, those who come form other cities alone exceed that number.
The extremely law turn out is no doubt the result of the anger caused by the ESFNA official to associate the sporting event with the notorious Woyanne businessman, Ato Al Amoudi.
The Ethiopian community is boycotting the events, such as the soccer matches at the stadium, that are spondered by the Federation. On the other hand, Ethiopian restaurants in the Washington DC are doing well as the thousands of visitors and their local hosts are going out to dine and enjoy themselves.
