Although not one of the leading footballing nations in Africa, Ethiopia has produced some outstanding teams at both club and international level as well as some talented individual players.
In 1944 the first Ethiopian Championship was held in Addis Abeba under Haile Selassie rule, with 5 teams representing the various communities in the capital conquered by the Allies.
[6] The first recognised version of the Ethiopian Premier League was contested in 1944 when five teams representing the various communities of Addis Ababa competed for a title won by the British Military Mission-BMME.
[9] Ethiopia was suspended by FIFA in 2008 after the Federal Parliamentary Assembly sacked Ashebir Woldegiorgis from his position as EFF President and replaced him with their candidate Ahmed Yasin.
As one of the few independent African states in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War Ethiopia were an important team in the development of the international football in the continent.
Ethiopia was one of the pioneers of the Africa Cup of Nations and were one of only three teams to enter the inaugural 1957 tournament, finishing as runners-up to Egypt.