The Ethiopian Sports Federation in North America (ESFNA) board members held a meeting over the weekend to plan for its annual event. Toward the end of the meeting, the board members voted to invite Birtukan Mideksa as a guest of honor by an overwhelming majority over the objection of some of the Woyanne/Al Amoudi supporters in the board.
The Woyanne supporters, including Sebsebe Assefa and Yaya Arega, were outraged at the decision to invite Birtukan and tried to physically attack some of the board members. In the past, Sebsebe and gang would often succeed in intimidating the board into doing any thing they want. However, this time the majority in the board stood its ground and pushed them back.
The next step the board needs to take is to kick out these Woyanne thugs from the Federation. Most of the soccer players, without whose participation the ESFNA cannot exist, are patriotic Ethiopians who despise Woyanne and its agents such as Al Amoudi.
The decision by the majority of ESFNA board members to select Birtukan Mideksa is the first major step in declaring the group’s independence from Woyanne businessman Al Amoudi who has infiltrated the organization through his top aid Abinet GebereMeskel and his thugs Sebsebe, Yaya, Endale Turfa and others. (A full list of Woyannes in the board will be made public shortly).
Abinet and gang were behind the August 3, 2010, Woyanne demonstration in Washington DC.
ESFNA will hold its next event in the City of Atlanta in July 2011.