Édgar Perea, Colombian politician and football commentator, Died at 81

  Media, Politician

Édgar José Perea Arias was born on June 2, 1934, and died on April 11, 2016.
He was a Colombian politician and former football (soccer) radio and TV commentator.
In his country soccer was the national pastime, Perea was considered one of Colombia’s greatest sportscasters.
He was known in Colombia for his thunderous voice and for the way he intoned the traditional Spanish-style “Goooooooool!” sound when a goal had been scored.
Édgar Perea was the broadcaster on eight football World Cups, fifteen World Series for CBS Spanish Radio, seven Olympics, many boxing matches and thousands of soccer matches in Colombia and abroad.
Perea had become so successful as a sportscaster that he transcended himself into a national politician.
He was Afro-Colombian and broke down many barriers that kept black Colombians from gaining admiration and respect in Colombian pop culture and in entering the ritzy social scenes of Colombian society.
Following him gaining popularity for his picturesque way of narrating football matches, Perea joined the Colombian Liberal Party with the support of then presidential candidate Horacio Serpa and ran for the senate.
During 2009, Egar was appointed Ambassador to Colombia in South Africa.
Édgar Perea passed away at 81 yrs old