World soccer legend Edson Arantes Do Nascimento, aka “King Pele”, has said that African teams have improved in their football and can spring surprises at the South Africa 2010 World Cup.
Pele said this in Johannesburg on Tuesday as he recalled Nigeria’s ousting of Brazil in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, U.S., reports the Southern Africa correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Nigeria’s Super Eagles have romped into the first World Cup on African soil.
“Some years ago, I talked about the improvement of the African teams. Unfortunately, they showed their improvement in the Olympics against Brazil when they beat us.
“It’s difficult to say what will happen this year, but maybe we will see a surprise.
“African teams have tough groups, but if they qualify for the knockout stage, there’ll certainly be a surprise,” Pele said on FIFA.com.
The soccer legend said, however, that he was hopeful that Brazil would get to the final of the competition as 10 was his lucky number and the tournament was being held in 2010.
Pele said he was happy that Africa was hosting the World Cup, and noted that it was well deserved.
German Franz Beckenbauer also spoke of his great expectation from African teams.
“I’m confident that an African team can reach the semi-finals,” he was quoted as saying.
“Ghana are strong, Côte d’Ivoire are strong and the South Africans have home advantage.
“It will be an African World Cup and I’m really looking forward to it because it’s going to be very colourful and very entertaining,” Beckenbauer said.
Regarding the soccer fiesta, Cameroon’s Roger Milla said: “In Africa, we are so happy to have received this World Cup — we could not believe we would get it.
Every time I come to Zurich, I thank (FIFA) President Sepp Blatter for that.”
Bobby Charlton, who inspired England to the world crown in 1966, said he was sure that the FIFA World Cup would be a major success.
“I’ve been to South Africa a lot of times and people will enjoy it down there.
“I’m extremely happy that I will go to this year’s World Cup. As always, I hope that England will do well,” he said.
Mexico’s Hugo Sanchez spoke in the same vein: “I’m very happy for Africa. The continent had to wait so many years for this occasion.
“To have South Africa hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup is not only very good for football but also for the whole African continent.”
Blatter said with 122 days to the tournament that he remained convinced that it would be “a very successful one”.
(NAN)
