{{short description|Togolese footballer (born 1975)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}} {{Infobox football biography | name= Jean-Paul Abalo | birth_name = Yaovi Dosseh Abalo | fullname = Jean-Paul Dosseh Abalo | image = Jean-Paul Abalo.jpg | caption = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1975|06|26|df=yes}} | birth_place = Lomé, Togo | height = {{height|m=1.77}} | currentclub = | position = defender | youthyears1 = 1991–1992 | youthclubs1 = OC Agaza | years1 = 1992–1993 | clubs1 = OC Agaza | caps1 = | goals1 = | years2 = 1993–1995 | clubs2 = Saint-Christophe Châteauroux | caps2 = 29 | goals2 = 1 | years3 = 1995–2005 | clubs3 = Amiens SC | caps3 = 273 | goals3 = 7 | years4 = 2005 | clubs4 = USL Dunkerque | caps4 = 4 | goals4 = 0 | years5 = 2006 | clubs5 = APOEL | caps5 = 3 | goals5 = 0 | years6 = 2006 | clubs6 = Ethnikos Piraeus | caps6 = 9 | goals6 = 0 | years7 = 2007–2008 | clubs7 = Al-Merrikh | caps7 = | goals7 = | years8 = 2008–2009 | clubs8 = FC Déols 36 | caps8 = | goals8 = | nationalyears1 = 1992–2008 | nationalteam1 = Togo<ref>[https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/togo-recintlp.html Togo - Record International Players]</ref> | nationalcaps1 = 74 | nationalgoals1 = 1 | pcupdate = 11 April 2007 | ntupdate = 23 June 2006 | manageryears1 = 2018– | managerclubs1 = Togo U20 }}
'''Jean-Paul Yaovi Dosseh Abalo''' (born 26 June 1975) is a Togolese former footballer who played as a defender. He is the current coach of the Togo national under-20 football team.
==Club career== Abalo played for six seasons in the French Ligue 2 with Amiens SC.{{refn|{{LFP|id=abalo-jean-paul}}}} He acquired French nationality by naturalization on 29 January 1998 and legally changed his name from Yaovi to Jean-Paul.<ref>{{Cite web |title=JORF n° 0027 du 1 février 1998 - Légifrance |url=https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/jo/1998/02/01/0027/ |access-date=2023-11-08 |website=www.legifrance.gouv.fr}}</ref>
In 2006, he moved to APOEL in Cyprus, where he won the 2005–06 Cypriot Cup. Whilst at Amiens, Abalo played in the 2001 Coupe de France Final. His penalty miss proved decisive as Amiens lost to Strasbourg.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/1354056.stm|title=Strasbourg claim Cup|publisher=BBC |date=27 May 2001 |access-date=28 July 2016}}</ref>
==International career== Abalo was the captain of the Togo national football team. He was called up to the 2006 World Cup, and represented his country at four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.<ref>{{FIFA player|93299|Jean-Paul Abalo}}</ref> His contribution to the team's World Cup campaign was overshadowed by the red card he received in the opening match against South Korea, as his side suffered a 1–2 defeat.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2006/4852752.stm|title=South Korea 2-1 Togo|publisher=BBC Sport|date=13 June 2006|accessdate=12 October 2021}}</ref>
==Coaching career==
In January 2018, Abalo was announced as the Togo national under-20 football team coach for the 2018 Toulon Tournament.<ref>{{cite web|title=OFFICIEL : le Togo participera au Festival International Espoirs 2018|url=http://festival-foot-espoirs.com/news_detail_festival_foot.php?news_id=2061|access-date=23 January 2018}}</ref>
==Honours== '''APOEL''' *Cypriot Cup: 2005–06
==References== {{Reflist}} * {{NFT player|pid=6638}}
{{Togo Squad 1998 Africa Cup of Nations}} {{Togo Squad 2000 Africa Cup of Nations}} {{Togo Squad 2002 Africa Cup of Nations}} {{Togo Squad 2006 Africa Cup of Nations}} {{Togo Squad 2006 World Cup}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Abalo, Jean-Paul}} Category:1975 births Category:Living people Category:Footballers from Lomé Category:Togolese men's footballers Category:Togolese expatriate men's footballers Category:Togo men's international footballers Category:French men's footballers Category:Naturalized citizens of France Category:Ethnikos Piraeus F.C. players Category:APOEL FC players Category:LB Châteauroux players Category:Amiens SC players Category:OC Agaza players Category:USL Dunkerque players Category:Al Merrikh SC players Category:Ligue 2 players Category:Championnat National players Category:Championnat National 2 players Category:Cypriot First Division players Category:Super League Greece 2 players Category:2006 FIFA World Cup players Category:1998 African Cup of Nations players Category:2000 African Cup of Nations players Category:2002 African Cup of Nations players Category:2006 Africa Cup of Nations players Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Greece Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Cyprus Category:Men's association football defenders Category:21st-century Togolese sportsmen {{Togo-footy-bio-stub}}