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When Pele stopped the civil war

2023-04-11 15:22:45Sport SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

When Pele stopped the civil war

In 1969, as part of a friendly tour, Santos and Pele found themselves in Nigeria, where civil war was ravaging the country. The presence of the "king of football" was to change the sport of the country forever.

 One of the people who lived close to Pele during that time and whose path in the sport was influenced by the Brazilian ace, was Godwin Ijilen, who recounted the events for BBC Sport Africa. 

He was selected as the leader of a team formed to represent the mid-western state. "It was at the height of the civil war. "On the day of the match, no one thought about weapons anymore," he said.

Of course, Pele wasn't the only one on the Santos roster, as he was joined by Carlos Alberto and Pepe, who traveled to Europe and Africa to further spread the fame of the "Santasticos". 

Apart from Nigeria, in the same year they had been to Algeria, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana and Mozambique.

Although Santos' arrival in Nigeria came a year before Mexico's World Cup and Brazil's third trophy, the 28-year-old Pele already had the 1958 and 1962 trophies in his collection. "It was very impressive to see Pele in person because we all read about him as a young player who helped Brazil win the World Cup in Sweden,” said Jonathan Ofugere, who was president of the West African Football Union (WAFU) at the time.

The match took place on February 4 and started badly for the home team. "Within five minutes we conceded two goals", remembers Ijilen, who played in midfield. "I spoke to my players and said: 'Look, we have to do something. We cannot allow them to tear us apart in our home." He himself took over the detention of Pele. He succeeded up to a point, although occasionally, as he himself admitted, he had to mark it. In the second half, the Nigerian team managed to score. There were cheers on the field as a wealthy businessman entered the field and spread himself in front of the players. Although the referee asked him to leave, he did so only when he ran out of money. The match ended 2-1 in favor of Santos.

Ka shumë histori që pretendojnë se mbërritja e Peles në qytetin e Beninit, pranë vijës së parë të luftimeve midis forcave të qeverisë nigeriane dhe luftëtarëve të pavarësisë së Biafras, çoi në një armëpushim informal, me ushtarët që ulnin armët. E vërteta ka të bëjë më shumë me atë që pasoi praninë e Pelesë në vend. “Vizita e Pelesë çoi në shumë gjëra”, thekson Ofugere dhe shton: “Shoqata e Futbollit Nigerian, të cilës i shërbeva për më shumë se 10 vjet, tani pa Brazilin dhe e imitoi atë dhe inkurajoi lojtarët të luanin si brazilianë.

Kjo bëri që nigerianët të shkonin në Brazil dhe Nigeria të punësonte gjithashtu një trajner brazilian, Otto Gloria, i cili na ndihmoi të fitojmë Kupën e Kombeve të Afrikës për herë të parë në 1980. Gjithashtu për Godwin Ijilen, i cili vazhdoi të bëhej trajner dhe në vitin 2004 udhëhoqi ekipin kombëtar të femrave të Nigerisë drejt fitores në Kupën përkatëse të Kombeve të Afrikës, ndikimi ishte vendimtar. “Ne theksuam disiplinën. Kishim seanca të rregullta stërvitore, ndërsa teknikët tanë filluan të merrnin kurse për të marrë licencë, siç ishte rasti në Brazil dhe Evropë. Ne braktisëm sistemin "merr topin dhe vrapo" dhe vendosëm taktika në lojën tonë, duke e nisur sulmin nga mbrojtësit tanë".

Pele's death last December at the age of 82 robbed football of its all-time great, but Ofugere is adamant the Brazilian's legacy lives on in Nigeria.

"We are all very sad to lose him, but he has left an indelible mark that our players should seek to emulate."


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