Yohannes Sahle, who was recently reinstated as the head coach of the Ethiopian national men football team, has officially announced his backroom staff.
The coach, who returned to the helm early last month, unveiled his chosen assistants on Friday evening.
According to a statement from the Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF), the appointments were made in accordance with the terms of his agreement.
The federation’s communication confirmed that the selection of assistant coaches was delegated to Yohannes, who has now finalized his choices.
The statement emphasized that all appointments adhere to the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) guidelines, which require coaching staff to hold a CAF A coaching license or higher.
Adhering to these criteria, Yohannes has appointed Belete Gebrekidan as his assistant coach and Mohammed Jemal as the goalkeeper trainer. Both individuals formalized their contracts by signing at the federation headquarters on the same day.
Belete Gebrekidan, a former player for the Ethiopian youth national team, Belete transitioned into coaching in the year 2007.
He has accumulated extensive experience, having served both as a head coach and as an assistant on numerous occasions.
Notably, he previously worked with the senior national team as an assistant to coach Ashenafi Bekele in 2017. His most recent role was at the helm of the Mechal under-20 team.
Mohammed Jemal, A former goalkeeper for clubs including Jimma City, Adama City, and Addis Ababa Police, Jemal transitioned into specialized coaching in 2012, beginning with Jimma City.
Prior to this appointment, he has been serving as the goalkeeper coach for Dire Dawa City. He also brings prior national team experience, having previously worked with Ethiopia’s under-15 and under-20 sides.
The restructuring of the technical team comes as the national team, nicknamed the Walia Ibexes, prepares for competitive action. Ethiopia is scheduled to face São Tomé and Príncipe in the preliminary round of the Africa Cup of Nations in March.
Yohannes, a seasoned tactician who was most recently coaching Ethiopian Premier League side Fasil Kenema S.C., signed a two-year contract in January to lead the national team.
He steps into the role following the departure of Mesay Teferi, whose contract concluded in November. Mesay has since returned to coach his former club, Wolayta Dicha.
This marks a return to the national team setup for Yohannes, who previously managed the Walias for nearly a year approximately a decade ago. He takes over at a challenging time, following the team’s disappointing performances in recent qualification campaigns.
Ethiopia finished fifth in Group A of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, securing just nine points from ten matches (two wins, three draws, five losses). Their Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 qualifying campaign was even more challenging, as they finished at the bottom of Group H with only four points.
