Fr Thomas Ebong
In other developing stories, two icons in their fields of expertise have also transitioned to the great beyond during this period. They are Pele of Brazil and Barbara Walters of NBC News, USA.
PELE, THE KING OF SOCCER
The King of Soccer- Edson Arantes do Nascimento- the Professional soccer player of *All* times, universally known as Pele,” has passed at the age of 82. He lives behind, an aged mother of 100 years and loving children. He is honored with three days of mourning to at his death, not only as national sports’ hero for Brazil but as international sports hero for the rest of the world!
It is important to note that in Pele’s early days of world of sports, there were no digital playback screens features, for referees and judges, during the soccer/Football matches. The referee and linesmen could not pick all the infringements committed by players in the field of play with an objective judgment as digital playback Screen TVs as the arbiter of the game at the time was non-existent! Therefore, players were not protected.
Common practice at the time, and general advice of coaches to players, was, “Gentlemen if you miss the ball, don’t miss the leg.” I heard this too, as I took part in local friendly teams and as a registered FIFA referee and footballer in my student days at the Bigard Memorial Seminary, Enugu, Nigeria. This inspired FIFA World Cup in our own part of the world, to incorporate Bigard Seminarians through some wonderful Seminarian as FIFA Referee trainers and representatives.
Such formidable team of football/soccer players and FIFA referee trainers included wonderful Seminarians like Peter Akaenyi, Mike Onwemelie, Anthony Okwulehie, Cosmas Osagwu, Patrick Ene Etim and many others, all of them were ordained good Catholic priests, and well rated as impartial judges and trainers for FIFA in the 1970s and 1980s in Nigeria.
This sad injunction and practice of, “if you miss the ball, don’t miss the leg” made Pele, the maverick player and greatest soccer- scorer of all times, a target and an envy of all players! He started playing soccer at the age of 15 and entered his national home team at 16! He is recorded to have scored 1,279 goals out of 1,363 games with trophies in world cups! From the early 1970s he was walking around and working with ONE kidney, resulting from broken rib and complications from cancer.
Today, he is honored as the greatest professional soccer player of all times who pumped the adrenalin of many fans waiting for the swift tearing clink on the goalpost net to shout of fans with a resounding thunderous applause around the Stadium with a telegraphing echo around the surrounding city at the time, and in unison, the word, “Goooooooal,” as well as the excitement and the jubilation followed.
Through the soccer games, Pele has demonstrated to the world, the power of bringing people together not only between Brazil and Spain but among all peoples of the world. A nation that honors talents of her players and meritorious selections of such deserving players irrespective of ethnic or racial proclivities produces a formidable team for its nation as well as a force of unity and progress among the people of that proud nation.
Nigerians, we have lots to learn from Pele and from the method of selection great players and formidable team members for our country, to prepare them next time to compete gallantly as before among comity of other nations of the world!
BARBARA WALTERS OF THE MEDIA WORLD
In the World of Journalism and News Casting, Barbara Walters, the Iconic News Anchor of ABC News and the first anchor for the same network news. She has died at the age of 93!
She is the foremost woman anchor who granted the greatest and very incisive, thought provoking interviews to so many world leaders. In America and throughout the world, she has become a model and a trailblazer to aspiring young women journalists, reporters and News Anchors.
Barbara has put in a total of 64 years (1951-2015) in her journalistic profession in programs such as, TODAY (America TV Program), ABC EVENING NEWS AND 2020.
The other legacy she has left behind is a demonstration of true American identity and Patriotism. She was born in Boston, Massachusetts (September 25, 1929) and died in New York in the State of New York (Dec 30, 2022). She was a good model for aspiring young Women Journalists, TV news Anchors and model interviewer seeking answers to the truth for her listening audience. She was a delight to listen to!
Thank you to all our departing Titans for their various contributions to the rest of us for a better world. May you all rest in perfect, peace, Amen 🙏!!!
Fr. Ebong, a Catholic priest, lives in Ohio, USA
