Africa-Press – Cape verde. Manuel Maria Pires, popularly known as “Manel di Beba”, a former Cape Verdean international footballer and referee and retired staff of the Cape Verdean News Agency (Inforpress), died today, in Praia, at the age of 72, a victim of of prolonged illness.
Referred to as one of the best Cape Verdean referees of his generation, Manuel Pires first stood out as a footballer, as a central defender, having played in clubs in Santiago such as Académica da Praia, Sporting Clube da Praia and Clube Desportivo Travadores, among others.
Manel di Beba complemented his football career as an international referee from Cape Verde, raising the level of refereeing in these islands in the most diverse international stages of the competition promoted by both FIFA and CAF, as well as in the competitions formerly organized for the Amílcar Cabral Cup, involving countries from Zone II of the Superior Council for Sports in Africa.
He also played an important role in the training of many referees who ended up playing a fundamental role in Cape Verdean arbitration.
Skills in table tennis, handball, basketball, volleyball and athletics
In addition to football, Manel di Beba revealed his skills in other modalities, namely table tennis, as an “excellent practitioner”, to the point of being considered the best in Cape Verde of his generation.
Di Beba, as he was also affectionately treated, also left his name linked to modalities such as handball, basketball, volleyball and athletics and was involved in the constitution of the Cape Verdean Federation of Handball, Basketball and Volleyball, an organization of which he was part of the first management team, in height presided over by Nildo Brazão.
Contribution to the creation of the Cape Verdean Olympic Committee
Having been a player and member of the Installation Commission of the Handball, Basketball and Volleyball Federation (FCABC), Manel de Beba also contributed to the creation of the Cape Verdean Olympic Committee (COC).
Thus, as one of the two vice-presidents of the FCABC’s first board, chaired by Nildo Brazão, Bi Beba was able to closely follow the entire process of creation and assembly of the COC.
“First, it was a long way to get to the Federation. Only after these adventures did the COC come, says Di Beba in a statement given to the book “Cape Verde Olympic Movement – 30 years of history” published by the COC in 2018.
Graphic technician in the newspapers Voz di Povo, Novo Jornal, Horizonte and Inforpress
At a professional level, Manuel Pires is linked to the history of the Cape Verdean press, as he worked as a technician, first as a model maker at the National Press of Cape Verde and, later, as a composer, graphic technician in newspapers such as Voz di Povo, which emerged after independence in 1975, Novo Jornal, Jornal Horizonte, to retire as a staff at Inforpress, the agency where he worked as a graphic technician/composer.
The funeral of Manuel Maria Pires, according to family members, will take place this Monday, at 16:00 at the Várzea da Companhia Cemetery
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