Graeme Dyer reckoned BwB readers may be interested in a piece of football trivia.
“I have just finished reading the autobiography of the great Pele,” he said.
“As you will be aware, Pele spent the main part of his career with Santos in Brazil.
“Outwith the regular season, due to a lack of big money within the game in Brazil, Santos continually embarked on world exhibition tours with Pele the main attraction.
“During one such game against a Colombian select team, Santos had a player sent off.
“Pele remonstrated with the referee and he, too, was sent from the field.
“The crowd made their feelings known in no uncertain fashion as Pele was essentially who they had paid their money to see.
“Fearing that things might get out of hand with the angry crowd, the authorities decided to remove the referee from the field, replace him with another referee, and reinstate Pele to the game.
“This book was written around 2006, and Pele maintained at the time that, as far as he knew (other than for illness or injury), a referee being removed from the pitch was a first.
“Perhaps some of the sports buffs within BwB readers may wish to disagree.”
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