What government position did Pelé hold from 1995 to 1998?
Answer
Minister of Sport
What government position did Pelé hold from 1995 to 1998? Minister of Sport. Under Brazilian president Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Pelé served as Brazil’s Minister of Sport, formally holding the country’s extraordinary sports portfolio.
He took office in January 1995 and left the government in 1998. The appointment gave one of football’s most famous figures responsibility for national sports policy, athlete welfare and the administration of Brazilian sport. His public role was notable because he moved from being a sporting icon to helping shape government policy.
Pelé’s tenure is especially associated with the 1998 Pelé Law, Brazil’s sports legislation that changed the legal framework for professional football and addressed athletes’ employment rights. The exact title is sometimes rendered as “Extraordinary Minister of Sport” or “Minister of Sports,” but “Minister of Sport” is the clear canonical answer. He was not Brazil’s minister of culture, health or education.