Pele 'The King' - Selects His Successors

SAN FRANCISCO, April 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pele and considered the best player of all time, has named legendary soccer stars and founders of GolTV (Francisco Casal, Nelson Gutierrez, and Enzo Francescoli) as his successors in his "dream" of promoting soccer in the United States and conquering the market.

The former soccer stars appeared together in a news conference on Monday during The National Show held by the National Cable & Telecommunications Association in San Francisco, California.

"The King" Pele presented GolTV's founders with a commemorative silver- cast soccer ball in an emotional and symbolic-filled gesture. "I'm passing the ball on to you, and I know it's a wise bet because I know you're going to score the final goal," the Brazilian ace told the founders of GolTV, the first soccer channel in the United States.

Francescoli, on behalf of Casal and Gutierrez, whose company clearly reflects the consolidation of the sport in the United States, thanked Pele for his trust and promised to be "a good ambassador for sport in the U.S."

The promise was sealed with a brotherly hug. Pele said that he had offered the three visionaries and their channel "all his support" in doing the job and had also proposed that they make a TV special together.

Pele sparked interest in soccer in the United States when he played with the New York Cosmos in the 1970s. After he retired, however, soccer fever cooled off and GolTV was met with considerable skepticism when it began broadcasting less than two years ago.

"Lighting a passion for this sport in the United States has been one of my greatest desires. But to make that passion possible, there needs to be a place where fans can go. That's what GolTV is about: raising the passion to the next level -- giving the fans a home," said Pele while also confirming that they were actually in the process of filming the special during The National Show.

Although dates and times when the program will be aired will be announced at a later date, executives for GolTV did confirm that it will be aired later in the year and will focus on the career histories of Francescoli (who is included in the all-time FIFA 100 best soccer players) and Pele and also focus on the past decades of the sport, culminating with the soccer played today in the United States, Latin America, and Europe.

The channel's VP of Programming, Constantino Voulgaris, added that the format would most likely involve a head-to-head -- a meeting of two stars "Enzo and Pele, a chat between two of the best players of all time with a possible look to the World Cup in 2006."

Pele and Francescoli's special was just one of the announcements made at the same news conference, which included the unveiling of the new look and feel for the channel that incorporates new on-air graphics, accelerated program pacing, and a host of new shows.

"You can't imagine how good it feels to come to this country and finally have the chance to see the best soccer leagues on TV," said Pele, thanking GolTV for its efforts and applauding it for its exceptional programming.

The channel broadcasts in both languages, offering the most important soccer leagues, including the Spanish, Italian, and Brazilian first divisions, some of the most exciting league action from Latin America and international tournaments, including UEFA CUP, Copa del Rey and World Cup Qualifyers among others. The channel expects to reach 10 million homes by the end of 2005.