Abinet Gebremeskel resigns as Saint George chairman after 24 years

Saint George SA board chairman Abinet Gebremeskel stated that he is resigning from the post after 24 years amid a crisis at the Ethiopian giants.

The influential figure was at the forefront during the successful years of Saint George in the Ethiopian Premier League, and he will be leaving the club following the establishment of a new 10-man normalization committee put in place to facilitate the transition of the club.

The Addis Ababa club has faced huge financial trouble in recent times, culminating to the point where struggles endured both on and off the pitch. After the financial backing of MIDROC Ethiopia dried up, the Horsemen struggled to live up to their greatness.

Gebremeskel was voted into the new board as chairman for the next four years in October 2025 in what was a contentious General Assembly. Nevertheless, the election was dubbed illegal by some Saint George members, as they sued the board at the Federal First Instance Court in Addis Ababa.

In an official statement, he confirmed that he has decided to resign from the board chairmanship. He stated that after much deliberation with his family, it was the right time to call it quits at the club, but added that he will remain a member of the sport association. He first became the chairman of the club in 2002, but for the past three decades he has been an avid financial backer of the club.

In other news, a 10-man normalization committee will run the club until an elective general assembly is called. The committee consists of four board members, while four are from the opposition camp.

The Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF), Addis Ababa Football Federation (AAFF), and Addis Ababa Youth and Sport Bureau facilitated the creation of the normalization committee. AAFF president Haileyesus Fisshea told Pan-Africa Football that the committee will assign its leaders on Tuesday, March 17. Members who have sued the new board have also agreed to stop their legal action against the club, Fisseha added.

Gebremeskel’s connection to the club dates back a long time. His uncle, Gebreselassie Oda, had been Saint George’s chairman during the Monarchy era. After Gebremeskel’s return to Ethiopia in the mid-1990s, he involved himself heavily with the club. He is also credited with bringing Ethiopian-born Saudi billionaire Mohammed Hussein Ali Al-Amoudi to the club during their dominance of the Ethiopian football scene.

 

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It will be the end of an era at both Addis Ababa cross-city rivals Saint George and Ethiopian Coffee, as both sides will get new chairmen. Long-serving Ethiopian Coffee board chairman Lieutenant Fikade Mamo left his position as board chairman last week.