Ethiopia sack Onuora over cows comments
Reuters - Monday 18 April 2011, 17:59
ADDIS ABABA - Ethiopia have sacked
British coach Iffy Onuora a month after they were thrashed 4-0
by Nigeria in an African Nations Cup qualifier, an official said
on Monday.
"Mr Onuora was relieved from his position on disciplinary
grounds," Ethiopian Football Federation spokesman Melaku Ayele
told Reuters.
"He was telling the newspapers that he had to clear a herd
of cows off a pitch in order for the team to train. I'm not
aware of a single pitch that the team trains in where you can
find cows."
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Briton Onuora was appointed last June on a two year-contract
and helped his side to reach the semi-finals of the regional
CECAFA Cup in December, where they lost to Ivory Coast.
Ayele said the Ethiopian federation, which ended his
contract on Friday, had also taken into consideration Onuora's
sending-off against Madagascar in October, which led to him
being banned for the game against Nigeria, and unflattering
comments attributed to him by British tabloid newspapers.
Onuora, a former striker in the English lower leagues mainly
for Huddersfield Town, Gillingham and Swindon Town, told state
television he did not know why he had been sacked.
Ethiopia are third in their Nations Cup group, three points
behind Nigeria and four behind surprise leaders Guinea.
They play Nigeria in June in Addis Ababa, before taking on
Guinea and Madagascar. The Horn of Africa nation last qualified
for a major tournament in 1982.
BLOGS: Read Iffy's columns from Ethiopia for FourFourTwo