Edson Arantes do Nascimento known globally as Pele
Edson Arantes do Nascimento known globally as Pele

Barring any last minute hitch, the Nigerian sporting confraternity will today have the august opportunity to host the football legend, the indisputable FIFA Player of the Century and winner of three World cup titles, the one and only, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, also known as Pele. The Brazilian soccer icon who is billed to arrive the country today, will spend three days as part of an event tagged YEDA Legend 2016 put together by Winihin Jemide Series (WJS) in collaboration with Youth Experience Days Africa (YEDA).

According to the spokesperson of the organisers of the event, Nigerian born pop artiste, Chidinma Okebalama, popularly known as Chee, Pele’s visit will serve as a major inspiration to budding soccer talents across Africa as well as aid the growth of football in Nigeria.

Okebalama (Chee) revealed that Pele will touch down at the Murtala Mohammed Airport later today. Billed to welcome him is an array of Nigerian soccer stars including two time African Footballer of the Year, Nwankwo Kanu, former Super Eagles goalkeeper and captain, Peter Rufai (a.k.a Dodo Mayana), Victor Ikpeba and Mutiu Adepoju.

Pele’s itinerary includes a mentoring session and soccer clinic where a good number of Nigerian youths will be tutored on the rudiments of the game of soccer and how to make a successful career out of it. The clinic is scheduled to kick off tomorrow at the refurbished Campos Mini Stadium in Lagos. The programme will create a platform for interaction between football loving teenagers, parents and a select group of officials from the Lagos State Government, corporate organisations and other football regulatory bodies across the African continent.

Chidinma Okebalama also said: “Aside from the football clinic and the exclusive dinner with Pele and other African football legends, there would also be an opportunity for football aficionados to own Pele memorabilia at an auction during the dinner, whose proceeds will be donated to the Kanu Nwankwo Foundation and the City of David Football Academy.”

Other high points of the package include a photo session of children from the football clinic with Pele himself. The children will also feature in the Legend Cup tournament alongside the Nigerian ex–internationals. Tickets for the Legend Football Clinic will be sold at a flat rate of N5,000.

The exhibition match which will pitch the Nigerian ex–internationals against celebrities from Nollywood and the Nigerian music industry boasts of a cast loaded to the hilt with the likes of Nwankwo Kanu, Peter Rufai, Victor Ikpeba, Uche Okechukwu, Ben Iroha, Austin Eguavoen, Etim Esin, Mutiu Adepoju, Timi Dakolo, Gideon Okeke among others.

The whole event will come to a close on Saturday with a gala dinner at the Sky Lounge, Eko Hotel and Towers, Lagos.