Source: National Archives & Historic Records of Ethiopian Empire
Sports & Athletics • Historical Archive • 🇪🇹 Ethiopia • 0 views

Yidnekachew Tessema 🇪🇹

Yidnekachew Tessema (Known as "The Father of African Football")
President of CAF (1972–1987), Member of IOC, Co-founder of African Football Confederation
Born Sep 11, 1921 🇪🇹 Jimma, Ethiopia
Passed Away Aug 19, 1987 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Lifespan 65 years old
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"Sport is the great bridge of human brotherhood; in it, Africa must stand as an equal among equals."

Archival Overview

Revered sports pioneer universally celebrated as the 'Father of African Football' who co-founded the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in 1957, served as CAF President for fifteen years, and led the sports boycott of apartheid South Africa.

Biographical Record

Yidnekachew Tessema was born in Jimma on September 11, 1921, the son of Negadras Tessema Eshete. A virtuoso football forward who played for Saint George SC and the national team, Yidnekachew became the driving visionary of African sports diplomacy.

In 1957 in Khartoum, he co-founded CAF alongside Egyptian and Sudanese delegates, organizing the first Africa Cup of Nations. As CAF President from 1972 to 1987 and a senior member of FIFA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), he spearheaded the international expulsion of apartheid South Africa and fought relentlessly to secure fair African representation in the FIFA World Cup.

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Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial
Holy Trinity Cathedral (Kidist Selassie)
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
GPS: 9.0310, 38.7670
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