It has been 24 years since Ethiopia organised a major African football tournament. That was when the late Confederation of African Football president, Ydnekachew Tessema, brought his charm, enthusiasm and managerial skills to the 10th edition of the African Nations Cup and made it a resounding success.

Those privileged to witness the colourful events in Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa in 1976 relished the wonderful hospitality, perfect organisation and the passion that pervaded the entire populace.

Ever since, unfortunately, football has been relegated to the back burner as military dictatorship, crime and war ravaged the country. For two decades, Ethiopia, one of the pioneering nations of African football, became the theatre of armed conflicts with its people, weakened by famine, fleeing in droves. Football had no place and the 1962 African champions have been missing from virtually all major continental championships for a quarter century.

Today though, life appears to have returned to normal as peace processes are being intensified by political leaders. Football, the game of the masses, now flourishes under the leadership of Engineer Gizaw Teklemariam, the chairman of the Ethiopian Football Federation who, despite huge financial and logistic problems, battles to give the game a lift.

That Ethiopia is hosting the12th African Youth Championship, which opens in Addis Ababa on Sunday 18th March, is itself a significant boost in that it affords the country's young players a chance to expose themselves to the vicissitudes of African football as a way of a gradual build -up to the future.

The African football family can only be happy to return to Addis Ababa to watch the cream of the continent's future stars battle it out for the four tickets for the World Youth Championship scheduled for Argentina later in the year.

For logistical convenience, the tournament will be held in Addis Ababa only and in one stadium. Preparations stepped up a gear in January when the French government agreed to bankroll the upgrading of Addis Ababa's National stadium to the tune of $23,000.

At the signing of the agreement at the French embassy in Addis Ababa, Teklemariam left no-one in doubt as to his determination to successfully host the championship. "Ethiopia is determined to regain its place in the family of African football nations and we are proud to be able to organise a major continental championship again after all these long years in limbo," he said. "We have a tradition of hosting to win and hope this will not be different."

The hosts may have home advantage - including familiarity with Addis Ababa's high altitude. But given the pedigree of teams on parade, not to mention Seychelles' chastening recent experience in hosting the Under-17 version of the African championship, there is little to suggest that the hosts' access to the coveted trophy - incidentally named after Tessema - will be an easy matter.

Their fate will be clearer after Sunday's opener against Cameroon. The composition of the two groups of four is formidable and on paper, it looks as though the four tickets to the World Championship will be a straight fight between the aristocrats - Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and Cameroon - and outsiders Mali, Egypt, Angola and Ethiopia.

Wounded pride could be the spur in Group B as the Flying Eagles of Nigeria, still smarting over defeats by Ghana and Mali in successive African and World Youth Championships in 1999, seek revenge. Ghana beat the Nigerians 1-0 in the final of African tournament while Mali sent them packing at the quarter-final stage of the World Youth Championship in Nigeria. These West African derbies promise to be thrillers and shocks cannot be ruled out especially if outsiders Angola live up to their giantkilling reputation.

In Group A, hosts Ethiopia will need all the home support to survive gutsy opponents with loads of experience. Egypt have built a team around boys from their 1997 Under-17 World Championship outfit and could be a handful. South Africa, seeking their second World Cup ticket, know that anything short of victory would be disastrous. But the team to watch are Cameroon, anxious to trace the footsteps of their victorious Olympic and Nations Cup team - and to wipe out bad memories of a first-round humiliation in Seychelles.