Football legend, Pele, led the Brazilian football club, Santos to Nigeria for a friendly match against the Green Eagles of Nigeria in 1969.
This was in the middle of the civil war, but there was a ceasefire for 48 hours. A 48-hour ceasefire was called between the Nigerian government and the secessionist state of Biafra in 1969 so they could watch Pelé play for Santos against Nigerian Green Eagles.
In 2020, Pele wrote: “One of my greatest pride was to have stopped a war in Nigeria, in 1969, in one of the many football tours that Santos made around the world.”
Reuters Text:
Footage of a Nigerian Football Association (NFA) Select Eleven playing a 2-2 draw with Santos FC of Brazil. Sunday, January 26th 1969.
The venue was at the King George V Stadium, Onikan, Lagos.
“Watched by 10,000 fans including Colonel Mobolaji Johnson, the military governor of Lagos State, an NFA select side drew 2-2 with the Brazilian side Santos.
Most of the NFA team were regulars for the national team, then known as the “Green Eagles”.
Santos led 2-1 at half-time with both Santos’ goals having been scored by Pele: his first from a powerful ground shot in the 21st minute and the second from a goal mouth scramble. Nigeria’s Muyiwa Oshode, an outside right, scored Nigeria’s goal the first of the match in the 12th minute, and the equaliser was scored in the tenth minute of the second half by Nigeria’s centre forward, Baba Ali.
NIGERIA: Rigogo (Peter); Igne, Ofokwu alias “Mazelli”, Andrews + Opens; Olumodeji + Olayombo; Oshode, Baba Ali, Lawal & Inge (Mohamed).
SANTOS: Gylmar; Turcão, Ramos Delgado, Marçal e Rildo; Joel Camargo (Negreiros) e Lima; Manoel Maria, Toninho (Douglas), Pelé (Amauri) & Edu (Abel)
Referee: P.L. Gomah.
Watch the highlight video of the 1969 football match below:
Source: Reuters News Archive, Youtube.