Haile defends integrity of Ethiopian Insurance’s title charge

Ethiopian Insurance coach Gebremedhin Haile. Photo: Tikvah Images

Ethiopian Insurance head coach Gebremedhin Haile said their strength has helped them become the leaders of the Ethiopian Premier League. The Addis Ababa side is on the verge of a maiden league title after a 0-0 draw against Saint George.

Speaking to SuperSport after the match, Haile stated that his players and coaching staff celebrated because they are now closer to the title. “The game ended 0-0. But the point difference has now risen to nine. We have three matches left. We can only lose the title if we concede 13 or 14 goals. So the probability of that happening is low. That’s why we showed our emotion. We fought hard, and we are feeling good,” said the former Ethiopian national team coach.

Haile could not hold back after his side was accused of an unethical win a week ago. He said his team worked hard to reach this milestone:

“Some people write different things on social media. I don’t understand why such things are written. We even led them by nine, 16, and 25 points, but they still try to speak negatively about us. We, as Insurance, reached this point by being table toppers. We led the table for almost 20 weeks. That happened because of our strength."

"We didn’t receive any third-party support to achieve this. We earned it through our own effort. It’s irrelevant to externalize such things. Everyone should reflect on themselves. They were silent when we were leading by a large margin and making a difference. Honestly, they should give (us) a standing ovation instead.”

Haile is on the verge of making history as he nears leading Ethiopian Insurance to their first-ever league title. The former striker previously won the top flight as coach of Jimma Aba Jifar and Mekele 70 Enderta. He also won the Ethiopian Cup with Mechal, formerly Defense Force SC.