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Football is the most popular sport in Eritrea. After being under
Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the Er ...
n control,
Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...
gained its independence in 1991 and in 1998 the country became a member of FIFA.


History

The football in Eritrea was started during colonial times in Italian Asmara, when the
Italians , flag = , flag_caption = Flag of Italy, The national flag of Italy , population = , regions = Italy 55,551,000 , region1 = Brazil , pop1 = 25–33 million , ref1 = , ...
ruled the
country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whil ...
. The first championship (amateur) was in 1936: the most important teams were "Gruppo Sportivo Cicero" (later ''
Asmara Calcio Asmara Calcio was the Italian Eritrea football team of Asmara (capital of Eritrea), created during colonial times. History The Asmara Calcio (also called "Gruppo Sportivo Asmara" or GS Asmara) was created in the late 1930s, by Italian entrepreneu ...
'' and in the late 1940s renamed "GS Asmara"), "Gruppo Rionale Neghelli", "GS Zuco", "GS Melotti", "GS Ferrovieri", "GS Marina' and the "GS Decamerè". In December 1936 the first six indigenous Eritrean teams started to compete in their own league (separate from the Italian league) and the best 3 native clubs (all having Italian names) were: "Ardita", "Savoia", "Vittoria". The second championship was done in 1937 and was directly affiliated to the Italian Football Championship, as serie "D" or fourth level. It was divided in "Direttori" and Eritrea was the ''Direttorio XXIII Zona (Eritrea)''. The teams in the first Eritrean "Divisione" were: * G.S. 175ª Compagnia Radio Genio,
Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The c ...
* Dop. Ala Littoria * Amba Galliano * S.S. Asmara,
Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The c ...
* G.A. Cicero * Dop. Decameré * G.S. Deposito Territoriale,
Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The c ...
* Dop. Coloniale Eritreo Duca di Bergamo,
Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The c ...
* Dopolavoro Ferroviario * Gioventu Universitaria Fascista * Dopolavoro O.C.R.A.E. * Dop. Postelegrafonico,
Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The c ...
The 1937 teams in the second Eritrean "Divisione" (amateur) were: G.S. 175ª Compagnia Radio Genio (B),
Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The c ...
; Aerobase; G.S. Capronia; Dopolavoro Gondrand and Zuco. The first football stadium was built in 1938
Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The c ...
during the Italian colonial period by the Italian businessman Francesco Cicero and since then it is called
Cicero Stadium Cicero Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Asmara, Eritrea. The stadium was designed by Malaysian architect, Michael KC Cheah, who went onto consult on the construction of Oman's Royal Oman Police Stadium. With a capacity of 6,000, it is current ...
. It was later used by the '' GS Asmara'', the team winner of the first professional football championships in
Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...
with the Asmara-born Luciano Vassalo. In the late 1940s the Asmara Calcio was renamed "GS Asmara", won the Eritrean Championship in 1945-1947-1949. Between 1953 and the
Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...
n full independence in 1993,
Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...
n teams played in the
Ethiopian Premier League The Ethiopian Premier League ( Amharic:የኢትዮጵያ ፕሪምየር ሊግ), known as the BetKing Ethiopian Premier League for sponsorship reasons, is the top tier association football league of Ethiopia run by the Ethiopian Premier League ...
, winning that league's championship 9 times. These Eritrean team champions were "Hamassien, "Akale Guzay", " Tele S.C.", " GS Asmara" and " Embassoyra": *1955: Hamassien (Asmara) *1957: Hamassien (Asmara) *1958: Akale Guzay (Eritrea) *1959: Tele S.C.(Asmara) *1969: Tele S.C. (Asmara) *1970: Tele S.C. (Asmara) *1972: GS Asmara (Asmara) *1973: GS Asmara (Asmara) *1974: Embassoyra (Eritrea) Two of the most famous Eritrean footballers in Eritrean History football, Luciano Vassalo and his brother Italo, played for the
Ethiopia national football team The Ethiopia national football team, nicknamed ''ዋሊያ'', after the Walia, represents Ethiopia in men's international football and is controlled by the Ethiopian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Ethiopia. The team h ...
(because Eritrea was annexed to Ethiopia in those years) in the qualifying rounds for the
1962 FIFA World Cup The 1962 FIFA World Cup was the seventh edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for senior men's national teams. It was held from 30 May to 17 June 1962 in Chile. The qualification rounds took place b ...
and won the
1962 African Cup of Nations The 1962 African Cup of Nations was the third edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the soccer championship of Africa (Confederation of African Football, CAF). It was hosted by Ethiopia. Nine countries entered the competition, including the reign ...
(when
Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the Er ...
obtained their only international trophy to date). After being under
Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the Er ...
n control,
Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...
gained its independence in 1991-1993. In 1998 the country became a member of FIFA. Since 1996 the Eritrean National Football Federation organizes the
Eritrean Premier League The Eritrean Premier League is the highest division in football in Eritrea. The league was delivered in 1994 to the first time. Between 1953 and the Eritrean independence in 1993, Eritrean teams played in the Ethiopian Premier League, winning t ...
and the
Eritrea national football team The Eritrea national football team ( ti, ጋንታ ኩዕሶ እግሪ አርትራ) represents Eritrea in men's international football and it is controlled by the Eritrean National Football Federation (ENFF). It is nicknamed the ''Red Sea Bo ...
. Most of the Eritrean Championships have been won by Red Sea FC (12 times) and by Adulis Club (3 times). In recent years -because of dire economic and socio-political reasons- there have been many
refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.
s leaving Eritrea and some football athletes travelling to competitions abroad have taken the opportunity to abscond. Indeed nine players and the national Eritrean team's coach disappeared in
Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...
in December 2013. Furthermore, in
2018 World Cup qualification The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification process was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA FIFA#Structure, confederations to decide 31 of the 32 teams which would play in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, with Russia national football team, Rus ...
10 players from the Eritrean football team have refused to return home after playing a World Cup qualifying match in
Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kal ...
and have been granted asylum there.


List of champions in Eritrean football

* 1995: Red Sea FC (
Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The c ...
) * 1996: Adulis Club (
Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The c ...
) * 1997: FC Al Tahrir (
Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The c ...
) * 1998: Red Sea FC (
Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The c ...
) * 1999: Red Sea FC (
Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The c ...
) * 2000: Red Sea FC (
Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The c ...
) * 2001: Hintsa FC (
Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The c ...
) * 2002: Red Sea FC (
Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The c ...
) * 2003:
Anseba S.C. Anseba Sport Club is an Eritrea football club based in Keren, Eritrea. Achievements *Eritrean Premier League: 1 ::2003 Performance in CAF competitions *CAF Champions League The CAF Champions League, known for sponsorship purposes as the Tota ...
(
Keren Keren may refer to: Places Inhabited places * Keren, Eritrea, a city in Eritrea, formerly called Cheren * Keren Subregion, Anseba region, Eritrea Other places * House of Keren, a historical house in Taganrog, Rostov Oblast, Russia * Keren, a cr ...
) * 2004: Adulis Club (
Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The c ...
) * 2005: Red Sea FC (
Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The c ...
) * 2006: Adulis Club (
Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The c ...
) * 2007: FC Al Tahrir (
Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The c ...
) * 2008: Asmara Brewery * 2009: Red Sea FC (
Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The c ...
) * 2010: Red Sea FC (
Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The c ...
) * 2011: Red Sea FC (
Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The c ...
) * 2012: Red Sea FC (
Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The c ...
) * 2013: Red Sea FC (
Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The c ...
) * 2014: Red Sea FC (
Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The c ...
) In 2015 and 2016 the Eritrean championship has not been done for various reasons.Historical data of Eritrean Championships since 2010
/ref>


Other clubs

*
FC Haben Haben is an Eritrean football (soccer), football club (as of 2001) based in Asmara. Current squad See also *Football in Eritrea References

Football clubs in Eritrea {{Eritrea-footyclub-stub ...


Eritrea football stadiums


See also

*
Eritrean Premier League The Eritrean Premier League is the highest division in football in Eritrea. The league was delivered in 1994 to the first time. Between 1953 and the Eritrean independence in 1993, Eritrean teams played in the Ethiopian Premier League, winning t ...
*
Cicero Stadium Cicero Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Asmara, Eritrea. The stadium was designed by Malaysian architect, Michael KC Cheah, who went onto consult on the construction of Oman's Royal Oman Police Stadium. With a capacity of 6,000, it is current ...
* GS Asmara


References

{{Eritrea italiana (Colonia Primigenia)