Lord Coe and Carlos Alberto Torres talk sport at exclusive Soccerex Event

It was an event that lived up to the title of ‘Best in the World’ as Soccerex hosted an exclusive debate, price where the former Chairman of the Local Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games London 2012, look Sebastian Coe and Brazilian football legend Carlos Alberto Torres came together to discuss the Olympics in London and in Rio, ed football and the golden moments of their careers at the Windsor Hotel, in the borough of Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro on 19^th November.

In what was the first meeting between the two-time Olympic gold medallist and the 1970 FIFA World Cup^TM winning Captain, the two sporting legends shared their thoughts on a variety of social and sporting issues; speaking passionately on the power of sport and the key role it plays within society, focusing particularly on how the 2016 Rio Games would inspire a Brazilian generation, like that of the 2012 London Games. During the discussion Lord Coe also raised an important lesson on how to inspire youngsters through athletics by learning from football’s team sports ethics and values.

With a week to go before the Soccerex Global Convention, the world’s leading football business event, returns to Rio for the third year running, Lord Coe and Carlos’s discussion naturally turned to football and in particular, Olympic football. Although the newly appointed Chairman of the British Olympic Association agreed that Team GB’s football performance at the Olympics wasn’t successful on the pitch, the sold-out stadiums across the country and the interest from fans was judged as a huge success and a key lesson for the 2016 LOC. Being a lifelong Chelsea supporter, Lord Coe also highlighted the special connection between the club and Brazil, with a number of key Brazilians now playing for the West London side, as well as expressing his desire for Brazilian superstar Neymar to join them at Stamford Bridge. Concentrating on matters on the pitch, Carlos Alberto Torres raised the idea of making Olympic football an U-21 tournament to increase the level of excitement and experience for younger players.  He also highlighted the link between Chelsea and Brazil and said he will be closely following the FIFA Club World Cup match between Chelsea and Corinthians in Japan.

Having two iconic global sports stars in the same room, for the first time, attracted a large international media presence, with the BBC, Lance!, SporTV, Globo, Terra and Folha de São Paulo all present. In what was a special moment between the two men, Carlos presented Lord Coe with a personally signed Carlos Alberto number 4 shirt and the iconic golden Soccerex ball to mark the friendship between them.

Pictures of this exclusive event can be found at www.actionimages.com using the following details:

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