Clad in a black blazer and a grey t-shirt, Pele before entering the vehicle waved to his fans who were waiting eagerly to catch a glimpse of the legend. The football legend had a brief chat with Pele.
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Frenzied scenes were witnessed at the airport this morning when the king of football Pele landed in the City of Joy after 38 years as the 74-year-old Brazilian turned emotional and stood on the floor of his SUV to wave at the crowd, who kept chanting his name. Such was the craze surrounding the football great at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose worldwide Airport that organisers and security personnel had a trying time in escorting him to his vehicle.
“Thank you Kolkata”, Pele said with a broad grin as he kept on waving at the crowd standing on the floor of his auto and the fans reciprocated by chanting “Pele, Pele”.
However, when a journalist asked whether the massive crisis in the Federation Internationale de Football Association with its president Sepp Blatter under suspension saddened him, the organisers of the triple World Cup victor said he would not take any question of the apex body.
Pele’s three-day guided tour is going to kick-off on Monday with them revisiting the old Eden Gardens cause, the location where the city’s sports blowers had spotted Pele taking part in in a quick display date American section New York Cosmos against hometown superstar Mohun Bagan in 1977.
I also asked him how do you rate Messi? Later replying to query of journalists, Goswami said that Pele is not able to play football now as he’s not fit. He is scheduled to address the students at the NSHM Knowledge Campus late in the afternoon before sharing the stage at the Netaji Indoor Stadium with Indian cricketing icon Sourav Ganguly and Mohun Bagan players of 1977 against whom he had played.
Among others to be present at the event will be the Academy award winning music composer A.R. Rahman and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. Pele will be interacting with the members of Mohun Bagan team who played in 1977. Prior to the chat show, Pele will hold a press conference at a five-star hotel and then head off to the NSHM Knowledge campus for an interactive session with the students.
The next morning Pele will meet the Atletico de Kolkata players before attending the franchise’s Indian Super League (ISL) match against Kerala Blasters later in the day.
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He would also meet the ATK players at a city hotel the same day. Fans gathered with Brazil flags to take a glimpse of the star cheering “Pele, Pele”. The proceeds would go the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
