The funeral ceremony of Engineer Gizaw Teklemariam, the former president of the Ethiopian Football Federation and Olympic Committee, has been held with family, friends, colleagues and members of the nation’s sports fraternity in attendance.
The Ethiopian football community gathered to pay their final respects to Engineer Gizaw Teklemariam, who passed away at age 80.
Teklemariam’s funeral was held at Petros Weldiye Church in the presence of his family, friends, colleagues and members of the nation’s sports fraternity.
A statement by the Federation mourned his loss and recognised his immense contributions to the development of the game.
“Engineer Gizaw Teklemariam’s participation in sports starts from Muger Cement. They have contributed to the establishment of Muger Cement Sport Club and then he was the president of Ethiopian Football Federation and Olympic Committee until 1995,” the statement read.
Born in 1936 in Chercher, Harerghe, Teklemariam completed his primary education in Dire Dawa, Addis Ababa and Itekah Ber Mekonen School before earning an engineering degree from Bahir Dar Polytechnic and a postgraduate degree in the former Soviet Union.
He had a distinguished career working for major cement factories like Dire Dawa Cement, Muger Cement and the Ethiopian Construction and Architectural Firm, rising to management and ministerial positions overseeing government development projects.
However, Teklemariam’s lasting legacy was in football administration. During his tenure as federation president from the federation, he was instrumental in establishing the Ethiopian Premier League and National League systems. He also oversaw the launch of the women’s football program.
Under his leadership, Ethiopia successfully hosted the African Youth Championship in 2001 and sent its under-20 team to the FIFA World Youth Championship in Argentina.
The federation credited Teklemariam with contributing to the development of coaching and player pathways, including the establishment of the Ambo Goal Project training center.
“The Ethiopian Football Federation once again wishes condolences to their families, friends, relatives and football family,” the statement concluded.
Teklemariam, who was married with two children, was remembered as a pioneering figure who helped grow the sport’s professionalism and infrastructure in Ethiopia.
