PELE NAMED AMBASSADOR FOR 2014 WC

BRASILIA, JULY 27: Football
legend Pele on Tuesday
accepted an invitation from
Brazilian President Dilma
Rousseff to act as an honorary
ambassador for the
2014 World Cup.
The 70-year-old Brazilian said
it was an honour that he
could not turn down.
“From the first World Cup
that I played (in 1958) I've
been doing this: I defend and
promote Brazil. It's a very big
responsibility and I could not
turn down the invitation,”
said Pele.
Pele told his compatriots to
show their pride in hosting
the tournament by putting
aside criticism over delays
and the slow pace of preparations
to stage the best
World Cup possible.
Sports Minister Orlando Silva
said that Pele had been a natural
choice because of “all he
had done for sport in Brazil.
He's a man who knows a lot
about the world of football.
He's going to help and represent
us”.
Pele won the World Cup
three times - 1958, 1962 and
1970 - and is the top scorer
of all time with 1,281 goals
throughout his career.