Subroto Cup 2015: In schoolchildren’s tournament, Pele still star attraction

Surprisingly, Pele was not asked by the organisers to address the enthusiastic crowd at the stadium

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Brazilian football legend Pele waves to his fans before the start of the Under-17 boys final match of the Subroto Cup on Friday at Ambedkar Stadium, New Delhi. (Source: PTI)

‘Goal maara, khud ko Pele samajta hai? (Think you’re Pele just because you scored a goal?)’ yelled someone from the terraces, invoking raucous laughter. AIFF U-17 Academy’s Rahul Yadav’s strike from 30 yards that found the right top corner even brought the Brazilian legend on his feet.

But the old-timers at Ambedkar Stadium are a hard lot to please. Yadav’s celebration, removing his t-shirt and breaking into a jig, did not go well with them. The Bangalore boy was at the receiving end of their wit. But the regulars were in the minority on Friday.

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The 10,000-odd who packed the stands were all there for Pele. For the longest time, the Subroto Cup final between AIFF Academy and Manipur’s Little Angels Paradise Secondary School seemed like a side-show. Folk dances and air forcemen juggling their 5.5 kilo .303 rifles could have easily led many to believe that Pele was the chief guest for a cultural programme than a football match.

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Football, the main reason why he brought to Delhi, seemed an afterthought. The referees anxiously paced inside the tunnel, waiting for the culturals to end so that the match could begin. Finally, after some delay, the teams walked out. Pele walked out with support of a stick after recently undergoing a hip surgery to greet the teams. But chaos ensued. And ironically, the two-dozen men protecting Pele looked to have triggered it. As the security personnel and photographers mobbed the Brazilian, his girlfriend Marcia Aoki, looking petrified, stepped aside.

Clearly in discomfort, Pele somehow managed to keep his smile in tact. Amidst all this, it was easy to forget that a football match was to be played. But soon after kick-off, the organizational lapses seemed irrelevant. Pele clapped and gave a thumbs up at every good move, and was almost brought to his feet by Yadav with his wondrous strike.

Soon after, though, there was another slight delay as the Manipuri fans hurled empty plastic bottles towards the AIFF Academy players while players from both teams also indulged in some verbal duels. AIFF, who allowed an early goal, eventually won the match 4-1 to be crowed champions. Apart from Yadav, Baoringdao Bodo, Edmund Lalrindika and striker Nijwim were on target for AIFF while AK Loyangamba scored for Little Angles.

As he made his way out, the old-timers on terrace tried their wit on the man himself. “Pele beta, selfie lele,” they yelled. Not sure if Pele heard them, but he looked and waved in their direction. “Pele ne haath dikhaya, zindagi ban gayi…” gushed one of them.