The day Pele stopped a war: It is one of my greatest prides

The day Pele stopped a war: It is one of my greatest prides

US magazine TIME reported back in 2005 that the Nigerian government and the Republic of Biafra accepted a three-day ceasefire. "Although diplomats and emissaries had tried in vain for two years to stop the fighting in what was then Africa's bloodiest civil war, the 1969 arrival in Nigeria of Brazilian soccer legend Pele brought a three-day ceasefire," read the TIME article. "Both the government and the breakaway Republic of Biafra accepted a truce to allow his team, Santos, to play two exhibition matches against local teams. For 72 hours, football was more important than war." Two years ago, Pele took to Twitter to label the ceasefire during the Nigerian Civil War as one of his "greatest prides". "I learned as a kid, with my father Dondinho, that football is an instrument for good," Pele wrote. "He taught me that lesson when he saw me dribbling a weaker opponent without any need and asked me to always respect my rivals. I took that for life, always using my talent for love and peace. "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.