Skip to main content

Long time rivals, Pele and Maradona seek ‘peace’

Diego Maradona hailed his old rival Pele as an “icon” as the pair were reunited for a “match of friendship” on Thursday.

The 75-year-old Brazil great and 55-year-old Argentine legend even embraced during the five-a-side exhibition game in a sign that they have drawn a line under their long-running feud.

“I want to thank Pele, we know who he is and who he will always be. We need icons like him,” said Maradona, who starred in Argentina’s 1986 World Cup triumph.

Pele, a three-time world champion, also struck a conciliatory tone in response.

“The most important is the message of peace. Many thanks to my friend Maradona for this opportunity and a big round of applause to the players who have been here today,” said Pele.

“This is a moment of peace.”

It was a far cry from the acrimony between them when FIFA was trying to decide the player of the 20th Century in 2000.

The world body organised an online vote which Maradona easily won. But FIFA thought the online users at the time were too young and so the vote was skewed in Maradona’s favour.

It then organised a vote by readers of the FIFA magazine and cast by an international jury. This time Pele won by a landslide.

FIFA decided to split the award and named Pele and Maradona as the two greatest players of all time.

“I had the vote of the people, Pele won by forfeit,” said Maradona, who walked out of a Rome gala so he did not see the Brazilian collect his award.

Maradona later accused Pele of letting his former Brazil teammate Garrincha “die in misery”. Pele responded that Maradona was “sick”.

Maradona thrilled the crowd at the Palais Royal with a cameo appearance in the 30-minute five-a-side contest. Pele, still recovering from a hip operation in January, remained in his coaching role on the touchline.

The event, organised by a Swiss watchmaker with UEFA, featured the likes of former France striker David Trezeguet, Italy goalkeeper Angelo Peruzzi and Dutch midfielder Clarence Seedorf.

Ex-Brazil forward Bebeto, a 1994 World Cup winner, also took part alongside Rio Ferdinand, Dida, Hernan Crespo and Fernando Hierro as the match finished in a diplomatic 8-8 draw.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Court grants Fani-Kayode N50m bail

Fani-kayode sandwiched by EFCC officials Justice James Tsoho of the Federal High Court Abuja on Thursday granted a N50m bail to former spokesman of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode. Fani-Kayode was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a five-count charge of money laundering to the tune of N26m. Fani-Kayode is the sole defendant in the fresh charges numbered, FHC/ABJ/CR/140/2016. The EFCC accused the defendant of diverting 26 million Naira allegedly received from the ONSA while Sambo Dasuki was in office. The anti-graft agency also accused him of handling the said N26 million without going through financial institution as required under the Money Laundering Act. The embattled former minister is already facing 17-count charge of money laundering before the Lagos Division of the court, along with a former Finance Minister; Nenadi Usman, Danjuma Yusuf and a firm; Joint Trust Dimension Nigeria Limited. They were charg...
Post a Comment
Read more

Houthis Claim Attack on Central Israel in Response to Gaza ‘Massacres’

The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has taken a concerning regional turn as the Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for an attack on central Israel. The group announced this as part of their escalating response to what they describe as "massacres" in Gaza amid the Israeli military’s operations in the strip. Details of the Attack The Houthis, a Shiite militant group with ties to Iran, declared that they launched missile and drone strikes targeting Israel. While the exact impact of these attacks remains unclear, reports suggest that Israel’s defense systems intercepted several threats over its airspace. This marks a significant escalation as the Houthis widen their involvement in the conflict beyond their typical operations within Yemen and neighboring Saudi Arabia. The Houthis’ Justification In their statement, the Houthis framed the attack as retaliation for Israel’s military actions in Gaza, which they characterized as indiscriminate bombings resultin...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fire: UniJos Senate convenes emergency meeting on Monday

Fire at the University of Jos Library University of Jos is to convene an emergency senate meeting on Monday to review the level of damage done to the institution by the Saturday night inferno. The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Sebastian Maimako, disclosed this on Sunday after inspecting areas affected by the incident. The fire, which lasted for more than six hours, destroyed the Library Complex that equally houses the faculties of management and social sciences. The fire also destroyed examination scripts, books and very crucial materials. Consequently, the vice-chancellor said “the Senate will meet tomorrow (Monday) to take a decision about the unmarked examination scripts that were burnt.” On the cause of the inferno, Maimako said investigation had commenced, adding that “nothing has been confirmed yet. We are still investigating.” The vice chancellor said the school was already working with federal authorities toward establishing a main fire station since the mini fire station in t...
Post a Comment
Read more