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ESFNA
Let’s Start it Fresh
LJD
10/12/2014
As we have pride in the ESFNA for “bringing Ethiopians together” for the last thirty-one years, we have a
responsibility to renew its image. i
Table of Contents
Let’s Get a Fresh Start for the ESFNA………………………………………………………………………………………………1
A Call for Immediate Resignation ……………………………………………………………………………………………….1
For a third time, I am calling for the resignation of president Getachew Tesfaye. He should resign
immediately because:……………………………………………………………………………………………………………1
I am calling for an immediate resignation of the internal auditor, a CPA because:………………………..2
I am calling for an immediate resignation of the treasurer because:……………………………………………3
I am calling for an immediate resignation of the finance chairman because:………………………………..3
I am calling for the resignation of long standing board members………………………………………………..41
Let’s Get a Fresh Start for the ESFNA
By LJD
October 12, 2014
As we have pride in the ESFNA for “bringing Ethiopians together”
for the last thirty-one years, we have a responsibility to renew its
image. So I call for a fresh start: First, an immediate resignation of
the current executive committee members who are abusing it.
Second, I strongly advocate the former executives, those who are
sitting on the current board, depart from the board before the 2015
tournament. Third, I advocate the retirement of the longstanding
board members – those who served the board for more than ten
years following the 2015 tournament. Finally, I plead for a staged
departure to be done over the next two years this is are the board
members who already served the federation six to ten years. The
stage departure should occur after the 2016 tournament.
A Call for Immediate Resignation
For a third time, I am calling for the resignation of president Getachew Tesfaye. He should
resign immediately because:
1. He falsified the federation’s financial information, read more.
2. He made a false advertisement – ቆርጦ ቀጥል ማስታወቂያ – despite the fact that a false
ad is illegal according to federal and state laws, read more.
3. He disregarded the bylaws by collecting all the federation’s vendor remittances at
his own residence, which created a cloud of suspicion that the federation’s
financials were probably mismanaged, read more.
4. In a press conference given at the Hyatt Regency, Santa
Clara, California on July 2014, he lied through his teeth
with a straight face on tape while seated next to national
heroes such as Captain Guta Dinka. This was unacceptable
and offensive to those who have feelings of pride in their
heroes.
He also told self-serving lies despite the facts right in front
of us. In the press conference, he told us a fish story that the
31st tournament was held at a FIFA certified field. Also, on
Addis Dimts radio, he told us last year that he was one of
the founders of the federation, read more.2
5. He had Mr. Tesfa Awoke banished from the federation’s 2014 festival by the use
of armed police officers, read more.
6. He marginalized the internal auditor, and he made it perform non-audit menial
work, which exposed the federation to significant financial and legal risks, read
more.
I am calling for an immediate resignation of the internal auditor, a CPA because:
1. He falsified the federation’s financials, which exposed the federation to
significant financial and legal risks, read more.
2. He failed to perform the internal audit duties assigned to him in the bylaws since
being elected three years ago. Instead, he benignly played a downgraded role by
maintaining a hand in glove relationship with the executives including the
president – which created a power imbalance that made the relationship between
the executives and the board be anything but one of trust, read more.
3. He failed to stop president Tesfaye from making a false advertisement – ቆርጦ ቀጥል
ማስታወቂያ – despite the fact that a false ad is illegal according to federal and state
laws, read more.
4. He violated key segregation of duties,
which are stated in the bylaws, and he
handled multiple incompatible duties.
Such as internal auditing, treasury and
tax preparation, which resulted in
creating a climate of suspicion about the
financials reliability and discouraged
good governance, read more.
5. He deliberately ignored gaps in internal controls in regards to ticket sales. To
clarify, during the 2014 tournament, the federation’s gate supervisors (ticket
takers) retained the whole ticket collected from the spectators although a ticket
should be torn and the stubs should be returned to stadium-goers and
concertgoers, read more.
6. He isn’t transparent to the board; for example, he prepared the 2012 and the 2013
Form 990, tax returns and filed the tax returns with the IRS before forwarding
them to the board, read more.
7. He isn’t independent. Although assisting the board in fulfilling its fiduciary
responsibilities by giving it its independent professional opinion is one of the
prime duties of the internal auditor, he failed to do so because he chose to work
hand in gloves with the executives, read more.3
I am calling for an immediate resignation of the treasurer because:
1. He secretly assigned his responsibility of receiving money over to the president.
And the president collected the 2014 vendors’ remittances at his own residence –
which was more than $81K, read more.
2. Behind closed doors, he gave his
responsibilities for preparing and presenting
the federation’s tax returns and financial
statements to the internal auditor, which
allowed the internal auditor wore more than
one hat and exposed the federation to
significant legal and financial risks, read
more.
3. He failed to make sure that the internal auditor performed his internal audit duties,
which created a cloud of suspicion about the accuracy of the financial statements
and the tax returns.
I am calling for an immediate resignation of the finance chairman because:
1. He dissolved the finance committee without the board’s knowledge in 2013, and
he never justified why he dissolved it. After he dissolved the finance committee,
he held more than one office, namely the finance chair and the finance committee.
The finance committee is listed in the bylaws, and it is considered as key
preventive and detective controls of the federation’s ticket sales.
2. He allowed family members of the executives to
sell tickets at the 2013 and at the 2014
tournaments, which fueled rumors and created
doubt about the accuracy of the box office
results, read more.
3. He implemented untrustworthy ticket sales and
pass gate procedures at the 2014 tournament and
concerts. His gatekeepers (ticket takers) retained
the whole ticket they collected from the
spectators although tickets should have been torn and the stubs have should been
returned to stadium-goers and concertgoers to ensure that they were not resold by
the gatekeepers, read more.
4. He failed to match the 2013 record attendance with box office results. He also
failed to match the 2014 attendance with box office results, read more.4
5. He missed the deadline stated in the bylaws for reporting the 2013 and the 2014
tournament and concert financial results to the board. He missed the 2013
deadline by about 50 days and the 2014 deadline by about 80 days.
I am calling for the resignation of long standing board members
To infuse new blood in the board, I call for the resignation of the longstanding board
members listed below before the 2015 tournament because they have become
deadweight.
Source: Images used in the article were obtained from Google Images.
The writer can be reached at LJDemissie@yahoo.com
if you like to read more click the link Let’s Renew Pride in the ESFNA
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