Football star, national coach, and sports leader Yidnekachew Tessema, affectionately nicknamed the “Father of African Sport,” was posthumously honored at an annual event of the Society of Ethiopian Established in Diaspora (SEED) for his extraordinary contribuion to the development of African Sport in the world arena.

Football is a popular sport in Ethiopia

Scoring 43 goals out of 47 for his club St. George, locally known as Qedus Giorgis, and his record of playing for 23 years has left a special place for the late Yidnekachew in the history of the Ethiopian football.

Radio Magazine hosts Addisu Abebe and Alula Kebede spoke with Yidnekachew's son, Tadele Yidnekachew, about his father’s legacy. Tadele also talked about how hard his father fought to make sure that sports were instrumental in bringing peace and understanding to people of the region and to the world in general. Yidnekachew was known for his firm stance against sports clubs organized according to race and religion. He was also known for his determination in opposing commercial advertisements by tobacco and alcohol coorporations in stadiums and sport arenas.

(Click on the link above to hear an interview with Tadele Yidnekachew)