- Nasima Akter
The CAB Honors Pele at Eden Garden
On January 12 at the Eden Gardens, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) will honor soccer legend Pele via a video tribute. Pele visited the Eden Gardens on September 24, 1977, to play in a match between the New York Cosmos Club and Mohun Bagan. Because of this, the CAB decided to honor the man during the latest ODI match.
The tribute will consist of footage of Pele’s skills. During the innings break, a laser show was also planned to play in the 80,000-capacity stadium. Reportedly, the reason for this was the increase in ticket sales due to former Indian captain and top-order batter Virat Kohli’s competent hundred in the inaugural ODI on Tuesday in Guwahati.
For the tribute, the surviving members of the Mohun Bagan team have been invited to the match. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also been invited to the ODI match. In addition, the iconic Eden bell will be rung by former Sri Lankan Cricketer Kumar Sangakkara to inaugurate the match.
While Pele’s match in 1977 was a notable moment for the stadium, it is not the first time Pele visited India. Back in 2015 and 2018, Pele visited India as a guest for events. When he played in the 1977 match, it was how Pele is connected to West Bengal and its people.
Moreover, Bengal state is known for having a very passionate fan base for football in West Bengal.
It was on December 29 that Pele’s passing was announced. The three-time World Cup champion had been ill for more than a month and was being treated at the hospital. At the time of his passing, millions of people paid different tributes to the soccer legend.
Until now, many people are making different tributes to the Brazilian footballer. Recently, it was reported that a special tribute was paid to former Reds strikers David Johnson and Pele.
Wreaths in honour of Johnson and Pele were brought onto the pitch and then laid in front of the Kop, while players also wore black armbands on the evening.
This week, it was reported 2022 World Cup winner Lionel Messi and the Paris Saint-Germain Football Club(PSG) had their tribute to Pele. According to social media, when the PSG prepared for their Ligue 1 match against the Angers on Wednesday, the entire squad wore pre-game warm-up shirts with the Brazilian’s face on them.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, well known by his nickname Pele was a Brazilian professional football player known for many accomplishments. He is the only footballer to win three World Cups and a world record of 1,281 goals in 1,363 appearances during a 21-year career. During his career, Pele was probably the most famous and possibly the best-paid athlete in the world.
When he retired in 1998, an appreciative Ghanaian government bestowed upon him its highest honour, the Order of Volta.
At this time, preparations are underway to pay tribute to Pele in the India-Sri Lanka match and the test runs were done on the giant screen.
