‘It is all about the game!’

The renowned reggae icon Bob Marley loved playing soccer so much that once asked what the game means to him, he simply replied “freedom”. It seems to be true for most of Ethiopian kids who play the game in shabby corners all over the country.

Many children acquire the special skill of making balls using old socks and cast-off plastic at a very young age. The limited space and freedom that children have, they spend playing soccer (famously known as football in Ethiopia); and it seems to be their only comfort zone. The story was no different for the former soccer player, Asseged Tesfaye. The precious childhood memories of his hometown, Dire Dawa, especially of his school, seem to revolve around the game.

Unlike most of his childhood friends, Asseged persisted to become a professional footballer in the national league. And his biggest icebreaker came when he joined the Coca Cola football club in 1984. This instance opened the door for Asseged to be recruited by the famous St George FC and have a successful five-year-long football career. After that he played for Medhin FC (a club owned by Ethiopian Insurance Corporation) for five years and finally he played for Ethiopian Coffee FC for six years. Even if it is 11 years since he stopped playing football professionally, the passion is still there, he says. Together with his export business, he still makes time for his football practices twice a week (Tuesday and Thursday). But Asseged is not ready to leave the professional football scene for good; rather he plans to open a training academy for youngsters and help those with a dream to make it as a footballer.

Morning:

I never liked sleeping in the morning; rather I prefer to go out and sit in one of the cafes to read what the newspapers have to say. Usually, I leave my house around 7 am and head to Kaldi’s café and sit, while having my croissant and tea/milk and read the Saturday newspapers. By 8:30, I will be done reading and go to my early practice and football games with former players. In the past, we used to practice around Kaliti, but now we practice around Medhanialem church at St. George’s football pitch.  After three hours of running around, we will be done and we head to the kebele café nearby to have coffee or tea. Most of the time, when we finish with our game it approaches lunchtime. So we might end up eating there.

Afternoon and evening:

Personally I prefer rice with meat for lunch and usually our lunch gathering is filled with jokes and laughter. To tell you the truth, almost 95% of our conversation is about football. Although I follow the premier league and the Spanish La Liga, I do not like talking about it. My passion is Ethiopian football; so we argue about the Ethiopian clubs here, the challenges and the future. After lunch, I have this trend of taking a little nap. So I head home located around Hayahulet.

In the afternoon, I meet up with my friends and there is always something to do; maybe watching premier league or other tournaments.  I do not have special liking or I am not a fan of these clubs, but I enjoy the good games. But from Ethiopian clubs, I support my former club, the Ethiopian Coffee FC. Apart from that, I am also a board member for Matheos Wondimu Cancer Association. So my friends and I head there to discuss issues concerning the association.

Evening

I do not go out of town on weekends. So in the evening, I might go to Elsa Restaurant or Airport Motel to have a couple of beers. I usually have heavy lunch on Saturdays. Most of the time, I skip dinner. Usually there is a Spanish La Liga game on the evenings. So we might end up watching those games. I am also a big movie buffs but I do not do that on Saturdays. My Saturday is dedicated to friends and watching the game that we love so much. In the music department, I like the sound of old classics like those of Mahmud Ahmed.

I usually get home after 10 on Saturdays and since I am not into watching TV that much, I do not turn on the TV. Rather, I go straight to bed.