Following the death of football legend Edson Arantes do Nascimento – Pele, Afrosport reminisces on his playing career and a memorable event that took place in Nigeria when an armistice was called in the middle of the civil war in October 1969.
A brutal civil war started in Nigeria in 1967 between the Nigerian Government and the Republic of Biafra (South-Eastern Nigeria) and the fight was to prevent Biafra from breaking away from the rest of the country.
The West African nation was thrown into turmoil as the civil war lasted for almost three years from July 5, 1967 to January 13, 1970, and it claimed thousands of lives.
During this period, Brazilian club Santos embarked on an African tour in 1969 – two years after the war had begun – and exhibition matches were set to be played in The Congo, Nigeria, Mozambique, Ghana, and Algeria.
Pele, at that time, was the world’s best football player and he attracted a lot of spectators anywhere he went because of his exciting playing style.
The iconic no. 10 and the Santos entourage arrived at the Lagos International Airport on January 26, 1969 and they played a friendly match against Nigeria’s national team, the Green Eagles, at the National Stadium in Lagos.
The then 28-year-old Pele scored the two goals for Santos in a 2-2 draw against the Eagles, while Muyiwa Oshode and Baba Alli scored Nigeria’s goals.
They later left Lagos and headed to Benin City, Edo State, for another friendly game on February 4.
The Brazilian club won the match 2–1, with Pele failing to score. Jonas Eduardo and Walter Negreiros got Santos’ goals, while Okere scored a consolation goal for the Midwest team.
However, the event that got everyone talking happened before the match while the team was in Benin City; the fatality of the war was evident, but the match needed to go on.
A ceasefire for 48 hours was called by both sides [Nigeria and Biafra], putting an end to their fight for two days, thereby affording Nigerian fans the opportunity to see the mesmerising Brazilian and his Santos teammates in full action.
The incident remains an all-time moment of pride for Pele as it proved his legendary status to pause a civil war.
I always tried to send this message, as football player and as a man. One of my greatest pride was to have stopped a war in Nigeria, in 1969, in one the many football tours that Santos made around the world 🇳🇬 ☮️ pic.twitter.com/TP3cjohXjW
— Pelé (@Pele) October 19, 2020
Also supporting the claim were his former club teammates Jonas Eduardo who is known as Edu and Ramos Delgado, who both spoke about the moment to Brazilian news outlets.
Edu told Folha: “The lights in the city were not turned on at night. Only the hotel and the houses were lit. I remember I asked the manager why and he told me it was to avoid enemy bombings.”
The legendary moment confirmed football as a sport for the people. It established the game’s power to originate friendships and understanding among people of different cultures and backgrounds.
It also showed that even in the toughest of times, the round leather game can be persuasive enough to convince even the meanest of people to settle down and appreciate an artist and an outstanding talent in action.
