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| Full name | Dedebit Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | "The Blues" "Blue Army" | ||
| Founded | 1997; 28 years ago (1997) | ||
| Ground | Tigray Stadium Mekelle,Ethiopia | ||
| Capacity | 60,000 | ||
| Chairman | Colonel Awel Abdurehim | ||
| Manager | Yidnekachew Alemu (Interim) | ||
| League | Ethiopian Premier League | ||
| 2017–18 | 6th | ||
| Website | http://www.dedebitfc.com/ | ||
Dedebit Football Club (Amharic: ደደቢት የእግር ኳስ ክለብ) is an Ethiopian football club based inMekelle, Ethiopia. They play in theEthiopian Premier League, the top tier of Ethiopian football. The team officially moved its home base from the capitalAddis Ababa toMekelle after the2017–18 Season.[1]
Dedebit was founded in 1997 as a youth project at an Army Officers' Residential compound.
Dedebit Football Club terminated the contract of their head coach,Yohannes Sahle after he led the team through just three matches in the2016/17 Ethiopian premier league season.[2]
After the2017/18 season, the team announced that due to financial restrictions they would only sign players with low wage demands and would let go of players earning high wages including star strikerGetaneh Kebede.[3][1]
Dedebit were promoted to the Ethiopian Premier League after a successful 2008–09 season in the second tier of Ethiopian Football, making their Premier League debut in the2009–10 season. Dedebit shocked the football world when they emerged as the league's early front-runners. They enjoyed a good run on top during that season until eventually finishing runners-up to perennial favoritesSt. George S.C. Dedebit's first season in the Premier League may not have gone as planned, but they still had a successful season overall, winning the Ethiopian Cup and avenging their league losses to St. George S.C. with a 1–0 victory in the final. In the2010–11 season Dedebit finished 3rd in table, staying competitive but finishing behind St George and championsEthiopian Coffee. They would continue this form the following season (2011–12) finishing runners-up again to the champions St. George.
The2012–13 season was the most successful in the club's history as they were able to win the Ethiopian Premier League for the first time in their history.[4] Many of the players from this title winning team such asGetaneh Kebede would go on to star in the Ethiopian national team.
Winning the 2009–10Ethiopian Cup meant Dedebit had qualified for the preliminary round of the2011 CAF Confederation Cup. In the 2010–11 season, Dedebit were drawn against Tanzania's Young Africans in the preliminary round of the CAF Confederation. The first leg, held inDar-es-selam, was a high scoring affair with the match ending in a 4–4 draw. The most significant aspect of this match was that it was Dedebit's very first competitive continental and international match. Having already collected 4 away goals, Dedebit had an outstanding second leg cruising to a 2–0 win at home, advancing into the first round 6–4 on aggregate. In the first round of the competition, Dedebit were matched up against Egyptian sideHaras El Hodoud SC. The first leg saw Dedebit get thrashed 4–0 inAlexandria, suffering their first defeat of the competition. On the return leg inAddis Ababa, they were only able to earn a 1–1 draw (finishing 1–5 on aggregate), in the process being eliminated from the competition.
Dedebit qualified for the2013 CAF Confederation Cup, but unfortunately they met the same fate as two years prior, being eliminated in the first round of the competition.
By virtue of winning the 2012–13 Ethiopian Premier League, Dedebit qualified for the preliminary round of the2014 CAF Champions League. Drawn againstKMKM ofZanzibar in the preliminary round, the first leg in Addis Ababa saw Dedebit easily handle their opponents cruising to a 3–0 win. The second leg was a different story as KMKM were dominant on the day winning 2–0, but falling short of leveling the fixture on aggregate as Dedebit were able to advance to the next round. In the first round, Dedebit metCS Sfaxien of Tunisia with the first leg held in Addis Ababa, where Dedebit fell 2–1. The return leg inTunis saw CS Sfaxien walking away victorious 2–0, advancing 4–1 on aggregate and eliminating Dedebit in the process.[4]
They play games at the Addis Ababa Stadium, which has a capacity of 35,000. Their original home ground is the Abebe Bikila Stadium that has a capacity of 30,000, but as of 2017 it is in process of being renovated. Due to the club moving its home base to Mekelle as of 2018, the club's home ground was accordingly changed to Mekelle Stadium.
The main sponsor of the club as of the 2017/2018 season is Messebo Cement, an Ethiopian cement company. The official kit supplier of the club is the Italian sportswear makerErrea.
Dedebit F.C. women's side plays in theEthiopian Women's Premier League, having won the league three times.[5]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Chairman:
Colonel Awel Abdurehim
