Ethiopian midfielder Gatoch Panom stated that he left Ethiopian Insurance for Newroz FC in January for free. Panom joined the Iraq Stars League side in a six-month deal.
Panom told Hatrick Sport newspaper that he had an agreement with Insurance before proceeding with the move. "Me and Ethiopian Insurance agreed before I left for Iraq. I told them I will leave if a foreign club approached me. They agreed. So everything happened based on our contractual agreement."
The former Ethiopian Coffee and Saint George midfielder is enjoying early success with Newroz, scoring a dramatic late equalizer in their draw with reigning Iraqi champions Al Shorta on January 24. He said he found the Iraq Star League to be a good league. "I don't think people have a profound knowledge on Iraqi football. But when you learn more about it, you will change your perception. I didn't expect the league to be very strong."
Panom wants a return to the national side before the FIFA World Cup qualifying games against Egypt and Djibouti in March. The 30-year-old missed out on Ethiopia's final 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches in November, last appearing when he played the full match in a 0-3 defeat to Guinea in October.
Newroz are 10th in the standings with 26 points. They are unbeaten in the league since Panom joined them in mid-January.
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