[News Is Eyes: Korean Weekly Magazine] 

What is the Relationship between Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the Unification Church and Brazilian Football?

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With the 2002 Korea/Japan World Cup quickly approaching, members and followers posed the following question, “Where do you think our nation, Korea, will place?”

‘True Father’ thus answered, “How should I know?”

“Where did we place at the (Seoul) Olympics (of ’88)?” “We placed 4^th.”

“Is that so? Well, we will probably place about the same this time as well.” “Eh~ No way!”

To Rev. Sun Myung Moon (1920-2012), Chairman of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, soccer was a synonym for peace. The International Club Soccer Federation, established in 2002, did not hold the “Peace Cup” in vain. Pele, known as the “Emperor of Soccer,” was the honorary ambassador of the Peace Cup. Pele regarded Rev. Sun Myung Moon as his “spiritual father.”

Pele is not the only great icon of the soccer world who looks up to Rev. Sun Myung Moon as a father figure. Marco Polo del Nero, who was elected president of the Brazilian Football Confederation, also regards Rev. Sun Myung Moon as a father figure. Del Nero was praised by Rev. Moon as having “a good head on his shoulders…He could become the president of Brazil.” This inspired Del Nero, a lawyer at the time, to pursue a career in politics. In Brazil, soccer and politics go hand in hand. 

[See the original story: http://bit.ly/1orGUOk ]