Africa remembers special bond with Pelé, the greatest athlete in history | Tellwell Newspaper
Tellwell Newspaper, Abuja – Nigeria:
By Michael Fitzpatrick
The African daily newspapers are virtually unanimous in celebrating the talent and generosity of the late Pelé.
The surprisingly muted South African press response to the news of Pelé’s death may be due to the thinness of editorial teams over the holiday period.
You’ll look hard at this morning’s front pages for any mention of the great man. Even on the sports pages, the choice is either nothing at all or straight reprints of off-the-peg news agency tributes.
The Durban-based Daily News is an honourable exception.
In a piece headlined “Football icon Pelé had a special relationship with South Africa”, Daily News journalist Eshlin Vedan remembers the shocking incident in the 1960s when the apartheid-era police refused to allow Pelé leave Johannesburg airport. Stunned by the treatment, Pelé vowed not to return to South Africa until Nelson Mandela was released from prison.
After Mandela’s election as the first democratic president of South Africa, the two men met and became firm friends.
Mandela said of the footballer that watching him play was like watching “the delight of a child combined with the extraordinary grace of a man in full”.
When Mandela passed away, the Brazilian genius said he was “my friend and my idol”.
“He was my companion in the struggle for the popular cause and for world peace,” Pelé said. “Let us carry on his work. He was one of the most influential people in my life.”
‘The world is a poorer place’
The Sowetan quotes South African Football Association President, Dr Danny Jordaan, to the effect that the world is a poorer place for the absence of “one of the greats.
“He was in South Africa during the World Cup in 2010 and supported us. We remember him not only as the great footballer he was, but also as a great ambassador of the sport.
“He was a supporter of African progress in football. Years ago he predicted an African nation would win the Fifa World Cup before the year 2000 and while it is yet to happen, the performances of the African teams at the World Cup in Qatar must have put a smile on his face,” Jordaan is quoted as saying.
Kenyan official snubs Pelé
The Nation in Kenya laments “The end of an era”. Sister paper The Standard remembers yet another African fiasco, this time in 1976.
Pelé visited Kenya after leading Brazil to World Cup glory for his third time, and took Starehe Boys Centre schoolkids through their paces at the Jamhuri Park Stadium.
It was the experience of a lifetime.
However, Kenneth Matiba, the then Chairman of the Kenya Football Federation, said his organisation would have nothing to do with the famous Brazillian visitor.
The federation was apperently worried about Pelé’s contract with the Pepsi softdrink company, and was unsure if he was promoting football or the sugary beverage.
Pelé later described the global football workshops for children, financed by Pepsi Cola, as “a triumph; one of the best things I ever got involved with.”
RFI
