Ethiopia included only two foreign-based players in a 25-man squad for next month's Africa Cup of Nations as they announced plans on Thursday to go early to the tournament in Cameroon. Striker Mujib Kassim is based at Algeria's JS Kabylie while midfield stalwart Shimeles Bekele plays his club football in Egypt and is one of three players who remain from the squad that competed at the 2013 finals when Ethiopia last qualified. The other two are captain Getaneh Kebede and back-up goalkeeper Jemal Tassew. Ethiopia coach Wubetu Abate said the squad would depart for Cameroon on Sunday, two weeks before their opening Group A game against the Cape Verde Islands in Yaounde on Jan. 9. Hosts Cameroon and Burkina Faso are also in the same group as Ethiopia seek to get past the first round at the finals for the first time since 1968 when they were semi-finalists.

Source: Ethiopian News December 24, 2021 16:17 UTC