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- Ydnekachew
Tessema
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 At
first, I wanted to write a paragraph or two about him as part
of the history page of Ethiopian soccer. But that would have
been unfair to the man, who has made great contribution
to the development of soccer in Ethiopia . He was a player, a
coach, an educator, a leader and above all, he was a fighter
for African soccer. I've the distinct pleasure to have known
this giant of a man, whom I had interviewed several times during
my days as a sports journalist in Ethiopia, in the late 70s.
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- He was intelligent,
witty and fluent in four languages (Amharic, English, French
and Italian). He also studied Arabic and Swahili. Several articles
have been written about him by the foreign press admiring his
dedication and contribution to Ethiopian and African soccer.
Yet, the man was never fully understood by his own countrymen,
and it wasn't until after his death in 1987, after a long battle
with cancer, that people realized that his death was a major
loss for the country.
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- The
Player
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 Ydnekachew
was the "Puskas" of Ethiopia. Short and stocky but
technically gifted player. I saw him play in friendly matches
for the veteran Ethiopian national team after he retired. He
was older and much heavier than his playing days but his ball
control, accurate passes and mesmerizing dribbles lead you to
believe that he must have been a really good player in his days.
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- He joined his first
and only club, Saint George, when he was 14 years old, and it
would be another 23 years before he hanged up his boots. Talking
about boots, it is said that Yidnekachew was the first player
in Ethiopia to have played wearing soccer shoes.
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- He also played
15 times for the national team (1948-54), and had scored one
goal. But his greatest contribution to Ethiopian soccer would
come later on after his playing days were over.
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- The
Coach
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- He served as coach
for both the Saint George and the Ethiopian national teams.
 A great admirer of the Brazilian
soccer, Ydnekachew brought to Ethiopia a new style of play with
flair and imagination never seen on the continent of Africa.
And it was under his leadership that the team won the 3rd African
Nations Cup in 1962.
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- The 60s were probably
the best times in Ethiopian soccer. It was during this time that
St. George emerged as the number one team in the country. Once
again, Ydnekachew, who was instrumental in the success of the
national team, repeated his magic with his club side.
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- Team
Leader
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- I guess he must
have been asking himself if he was successful as a player and
a coach, why stop there? It is hard to deal with the ego of one
or two good players, but when you have five or six, the job of
a team leader becomes a big burden. Ydnekachew would use his
great talent as a great communicator and psychologist to balance
the power and create a friendly atmosphere in the team. He served
successfully as team leader for both the St. George and the Ethiopian
national teams.
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- Founder
of Football Federation
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- Ydnekachew was
the co-founder of the first Ethiopian Sports Office, which would
lay the foundation to the creation of the Ethiopian Football
Federation (EFF) in 1943. Being a devoted individual that he
was, he did everything himself from translating all the rules
and regulations of the games, to training referees, coaches and
administrative staff. And he did it all with a meager budget
of $125, that he had to borrow.
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- Ydnekachew was
also instrumental in opening the country to outside contacts
and international competitions.
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- Jack
of All Trade
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- Yidnekachew was
indeed a jack of all trade. He did the first live play-by-play
radio commentary from Tel-Aviv to Ethiopia in 1963 when the two
countries played a World Cup qualifying match. He was also the
team leader and coach at that time.
- Biography
- Born on September
11, 1921 in Jimma, Ethiopia
- Former athlete
and player at Tefferi Mekonnen School-(1927-35)
- Member of St George
club (1935-58)
- Member of the Ethiopian
National Team (1948-54)
- Co-founder of the
first Ethiopian Sports Office, which lay the foundation to the
creation of the Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF)
- Director of Sports
in Ethiopia (1963-68)
- Assistant Minister
of Sports in Ethiopia (1968-72)
- Commissioner of
Sports and Physical Education in Ethiopia (1976-81)
- Yidnekachew's contribution
to the game was not limited to Ethiopia alone. He also served
various international sports bodies as:
- Member and Vice-President
of Confederation Africaine de Football-CAF (1957-72)
- President of the
Organizing Committee of CAF (1957-87)
- President of CAF
(1972-87)
- President of the
Union of African Sport Confederation
- Honorary President
of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA)
- Member of the Executive
Committee of the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa
- Member of several
committees in FIFA
- Member of the International
Olympic Committee (IOC)
- Sources
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- Confederation Africaine
de Football (CAF)- 1957-1997, published by CAF in 1997 to celebrate
its 40th year anniversary.
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- In The World
and in the World of Sport,
by Tadele Yidnekachew Tessema. Published by United Publishers
in 1998, Addis Abeba, Ethiopia.
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- Back to
- Ethiopian Soccer
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