Consequences of Signing Foreign Players in Ethiopian Football

…….. Recently, many football leagues around the world are developing the habit of spending millions during transfer windows and club managers and scouting specialists are very alert on such issues.

Surprisingly, currently, player transfer issues are becoming a talking point in the less known Ethiopian Premier League (EPL) as well. It has been more than two decades since the EPL started its run under its current format. Back in the day, it was a rare happening to even get regularly paid players; even monthly salaries were quite rare. Those were just simpler times. Even though, there were no formal contracts between players and clubs, Ethiopian footballers valued only the chance to play and the respect they get from fans.

In due course, things began to change; now, including those in the EPL, clubs in Ethiopian Higher and Division leagues spend millions of birr every year during the transfer window. Beside this, almost all Ethiopian league clubs are keen on signing foreign players every season, specifically from African football leagues such as Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan and some others. According to Ethiopia Football Federation (EFF), over 30 foreign players played in different EPL clubs, last season. This season, the number of foreign players is anticipated to increase to 40 or 45 before the closure of transfer windows.

Contract values of some of the big names in Ethiopian football have skyrocketed, with two-year contracts for some of the top players in EPL reaching four million birr. On the other hand, debut EPL clubs like Mekele City has been busy headhunting and signing foreign players, during this year’s transfer widow.

Read more at: The Reporter