Ydnekatchew Tessema

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Template:ZZM,M.QuebecMengistu Worku Ydnekatchew Tessema (1919August 19, 1987) is a former Ethiopian president of the Confederation of African Football, and honorary president after his death in 1987.

He is considered as one of the country's biggest sporting heroes. He played and coached Ethiopian clubs and teams and invented the modern Ethiopian Sports office at age 22. As a player he spent his entire career at St. George FC in Addis Ababa. Wearing the V across his chest he played 23 years straight with them, a country record. Another record he holds is a 43 goals in a 47 game season. In 1947, the Ethiopia national football team started playing international football, he was already 28 years old and the squad was vying for younger players, nevertheless he would get 15 caps to his name.He was also selected for the African cup of nations 1959,even though Ethiopia finished at the bottom,without scoring a goal.

His record for the country led him to coach the Ethiopian National football team, after his player retirement for a glorious period, and in 1962, at age 43 when the African Cup of Nations was to be held in Ethiopia, he led them to their only championships in this respected tournament,beating Egypt 4-2 in the final. Ethiopian football was at its peak then,as Haile Silassie the emperor of Ethiopia awarded them the trophy.

So Ydnekatchew stayed on as chairman of team selections from 1950 to 1976. In 1957 he became president of CAF, Africa's football governing body,and would stay on until his death in 1987. He would lead many Ethiopian sports organisations,including Ethiopia's Olympic teams for the 1960,1964 and 1968 Olympics. He was also a member of the F.I.F.A. Executive Commitee,in 1966 until 1974, and is known for his victorious fight against apartheid in international sports.

[edit] Controversy

In January 2006, Koraonline, the official football magasine of Egypt 2006 criticised Ydnekatchew of being a dictator in charge of African sport.

The report stated the following:"Yidnekatchew Tessema was elected in Cameroon 1972, to rule African Football with an iron hand for 15 years."

And on Egypt's 2006 official site, instead of Ydnekatchew, they recorded that a serbian coach by the name of Milosevic was the winning coach for Ethiopia instead of Ydnekatchew.[1]

However, in team photos and clippings from that tournament, there is no sight of any European or foreigner among the Ethiopian players, and Ydnekatchew (even though he does not appear in these photos himself) still has a winners medal from that glorious campaign.

[edit] Legacy

Until Ydnekatchew died August 18 1987,he was the President of the African Football Confederation, President of the Union of African Sports Confederations, honorary President of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa, Member of the Executive Committee of the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa and member of the international Olympic committee. Africa saw him as an ambassador of Africa who took pride in athletic advancements made by the continent ,and in March 1988, he was made Posthumous Honorary President of the African Football Confederation.

<nowiki> In Ethiopia,he is surely the greatest hero in all its sporting history and has left on mark on the nation that looks to be unmatched...for the moment.</nowiki>

--Kudus 15:46, 4 March 2007 (UTC)