Defence Force S.C.
Defence Force Sport Club (Amharic: መከላከያ "Mekelakeya") is an Ethiopian football club based in the city of Addis Ababa.[1] They play in the Ethiopian Higher League, the second division of professional football in Ethiopia.[1] The team, formerly named Army SC and Mechal SC, is the second most decorated club in Ethiopian football history behind Saint George SC.[2]
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| Full name | Defence Force Sport Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | TORU | ||
| Founded | 1938 | ||
| Ground | Addis Ababa Stadium Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | ||
| Capacity | 35,000 | ||
| Chairman | Ato Emanuel Fentahun | ||
| Manager |  Yohannes Sahle | ||
| League | Ethiopian Higher League | ||
| 2020-21 | Higher League 2nd of 9 (Group A) | ||
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History
Mekelakeya is historically the second most successful club in Ethiopian football history with 11 top division titles, with the most recent coming in 1989. Their dominance in the early years of Ethiopian football was cemented with six titles in the span of eight years from 1949 to 1956. After relative dormancy in the 1960s and 1970s, the club returned to its dominant ways in the 1980s by winning four titles. The club also has enjoyed success in the Ethiopian Cup, winning it 13 times. Defense beat Hawassa City 2–0 to win the 2015 Ethiopian Cup for a record 13th time and for the second time in three years.[3]
Defense entered the 2017 CAF Confederation Cup as the runners-up in the 2016 Ethiopian Cup. They were knocked out of the tournament by Cameroonian side Yong Sports Academy 2–1 on aggregate in the preliminary round.[4] On April 30, 2018 the club was involved in a match where they were awarded a goal that their opponents, Welwalo Adigrat University, disputed. An altercation followed that ultimately led to a member of the Welwalo coaching staff physically attacking the referee.[5] In April 2021, the club was promoted back into the Ethiopian Premier League after a successful campaign in the second division.
Stadium
The club plays its home matches at Addis Ababa Stadium.
Departments
Active Departments
- Women's Football Team
- Football Team (U17)[6]
- Football Team (U20)
Honors
Domestic
- 1949, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1956, 1976, 1982, 1984, 1988, 1989
- Ethiopian Cup: 14
- 1946, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1975, 1982, 1990, 2006, 2013, 2015, 2018
African
- African Cup of Champions Clubs: 1 appearance
- 1977 – First Round
- CAF Confederation Cup: 2 appearances
- CAF Cup Winners' Cup: 1 appearance
- 1976 – Quarter-finals
Players
First-team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Former Managers
References
- "Ethiopia 2006/07". rsssf. Archived from the original on 2007-01-05. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
- Takele, Tewodros (June 11, 2021). "መከላከያ ስፖርት ክለብ ሲምፖዚም አካሂዷል". Soccer Ethiopia.
- Okinyo, Collins (September 27, 2015). "Defense(Mekelakeya) lift Ethiopia Football Federation Cup for a record 13th time". soka25east.
- Chuma, Festus (February 20, 2017). "2017 CAF Confederations Cup preliminary round summary". soka25east.
- "Referee attacked by Ethiopian footballers for goal decision". BBC. May 1, 2018.
- Mesfin, Daniel (March 14, 2021). "የአዲስ አበባ ከ17 ዓመት በታች ውድድር ዛሬ ተጀምሯል". Soccer Ethiopia.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - Gebremariam, Abraham (June 10, 2014). "ፕሪምየር ሊግ ፡ ሐረር ሲቲ መድንን ተከትሎ መውረዱን አረጋገጠ". Soccer Ethiopia.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - "የቀድሞ ተጫዋች ለድሬዳዋ ስታዲየም ድጋፍ አደረገ". Soccer Ethiopia. April 6, 2021.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)