Relegation from Ethiopian Premier League not confirmed says Mekele 70 Enderta GM
- Omna Taddele
- Jun 27
- 2 min read
Mekele 70 Enderta general manager Shiferaw Tekelehaymanot said his side has not yet been relegated from the Ethiopian Premier League, as the club is awaiting a decision from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The case involving the club and the Ethiopian Premier League Share Company (EPLSC) at CAS is still pending, and Tekelehaymanot stated that relegation has not been confirmed for the northern Ethiopian side.
The one-time Ethiopian champions lost 1–0 to Ethio Electric in week 36 of the top flight, becoming the fourth side to be relegated from the league. Nonetheless, their general manager remains adamant that the club will not play in the second division next season.
Speaking to state-owned Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation, Tekelehaymanot said Mekele 70 Enderta is not relegated. “We will take this matter to court. I don’t want to talk about the details here. Let’s forget the talk of relegation for now. We could not get the service of the player (Yeabsera Tesfaye), and that affected us a lot. We took the case to CAS. The board decided to take the matter to CAS without harming the Ethiopian Football Federation.”
Yeabsera Tesfaye was penalized by the EPLSC for not honoring the transfer regulations of the top flight. The EPLSC claims Tesfaye and Mekele 70 Enderta were found guilty of facilitating a payment through a third party when he signed a deal at the start of the season. Tesfaye has been sidelined due to the ongoing legal battle.
Tekelehaymanot noted that Mekele wrote a letter to the EPLSC requesting that clubs not be ranked while the CAS case is still open. “A week ago, we wrote a letter to the EPLSC asking not to declare the standings. The winner (Ethiopian Insurance) won’t be losing points, to my knowledge. From the runner-up to the 18th position, the standings could change when the rules are properly enforced. So let’s keep the relegation talk aside for now.”
Mekele 70 Enderta and other relegated clubs hope that some teams which failed to honor the player transfer regulations will be docked points, giving them a lifeline to stay in the top flight.
Recently, FIFA ordered Mechal, Sidama Coffee, and Hawassa Ketema to seek arbitration from CAS instead of taking their case to a federal court in Addis Ababa. The world governing body warned that failure to comply with this directive would result in severe sanctions.
