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South Africa: Strong contender for 2006 |
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July 6, 2000
ZURICH (AP) - Unlike his famous namesake, Abedi Pele never played in a World Cup.
But the now retired Ghanaian soccer star hopes to play a role in a historic one.
One of Africa's best known players, Pele is on the team bidding to bring the 2006 World Cup to South Africa when the FIFA executive committee votes on the venue on Thursday.
South Africa is up against two of the European powerhouses, Germany and England, and other African candidate Morocco.
Pele, who played for several years in Europe for Olympique Marseille, Torino and 1860 Munich, dreams of seeing the world stars playing a World Cup in Africa for the first time and that's why he and Cameroon soccer great Roger Milla have joined the South African bidding team.
"It's not just an emotional or sentimental thing to have the World Cup in Africa. It's right in practical terms too," said the Ghanaian, who was renamed Pele after the famous Brazilian star because he was so talented as a child.
"I have nothing against Morocco or the Moroccan bid but the fca a first World Cup."
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