Ethiopia-born US citizen Yohannes Sahle has been appointed as the new national team coach for Ethiopia.
Sahle replaces Portuguese Mariano Barreto, who paid the price for failing to qualify the team for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.
“I played for Ethiopia from the youth team to the national team. Now I am very happy to be the coach of the team I played for,” Sahle told BBC Sport.
“I’m delighted and really grateful to be given this role. I will serve with dignity and my full potential.”
The 49-year-old’s first task is to prepare the team for the 2017 Nations Cup qualifiers, starting in June.
Sahle had a successful playing career in the mid 1980s with the top Ethiopian teams before leaving for America.
He returned to Ethiopia in 2010 to take the technical director role at Ethiopian Football Federation. Later he managed the U-17 national team and his last role was as coach of Dedebit, one of the top teams in the Ethiopian Premier League.
