Édgar Perea

Edgar Perea (born June 2, 1940) is a Colombian politician and former football (soccer) radio and TV narrator. [http://www.terra.com.co/elecciones_2003/noticias/barranquilla/27-08-2003/nota103888.html] After 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 and in 2003 he ran for major of Barranquilla. [http://www.terra.com.co/elecciones_2003/noticias/barranquilla/27-08-2003/nota103888.html]

As congressman Perea's incurred in political procelitism and violated regulation on exclusive congress work and corruption.

Perea decided to run once again for Major of the city of Barranquilla against Alejandro Char for the 2007 elections. Perea facing a possible low turnout because of poll results decided to ally with one of Char's supporters and political barons of the region Jose Name Tehran, a move that was highly criticized by the media. [http://www.eltiempo.com/politica/2007-10-23/ARTICULO-WEB-NOTA_INTERIOR-3778618.html]

DEFAULTSORT:Perea, Edgar Edgar Perea, born June 2, 1934, is a Colombian sportscaster, television sports anchorman, former Colombian senator, and former candidate for mayor of Barranquilla. He was recently appointed Ambassador to Colombia in South Africa. In a country where soccer is the national pastime, Perea is considered one of Colombia's greatest sportscasters. He is known in Colombia for his thunderous voice and for the way he intones the traditional Sapnish-style "Goooooooool" sound while indicating that a goal has been scored. Perea broadcasted eight World Cups, fifteen World Series for CBS Spanish Radio, seven Olympics, many boxing matches and thousands of soccer matches in Colombia and abroad. He became so successful as a sportscaster that he transcended himself into a national politician. Perea is 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.

Perea was born in the state of Choco on Colombia's Pacific coast. Choco is an area largely inhabitated by descendants of African slaves who arrived in Colombia in the 18th Century. Before the age of ten, his family moved to Cartagena where Perea grew up playing soccer and listening to the radio. Perea began doing play-by-play in the early 1960s and quickly rose to become the voice of Junior, the professional soccer team from the port city of Barranquilla. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s Perea's emotional and passionate manner of broadcasting soccer, baseball, and boxing captured the attention of millions of listeners around the country and media executives in Colombia's capital, Bogota. He became regarded as Colombia's best play-by-play announcer. In the early 1990s, he accepted an offer to leave Barranquilla to become the voice of Millonarios, the professional soccer team of Bogota. Perea also accepted the job as sports anchor on a highly rated nightly television news station on national Colombian television, and he also aired a daily radio show that was tops in the market. Exposure to the larger market helped Perea's ratings increase and he became more popular and was listened to by more Colombians.

Because of Perea's ratings and popularity, politicians and celebrities sometimes appeared with him in the radio booth to play to the emotions of Perea's listeners. In 1997, while President Ernesto Samper was struggling with a scandal concerning allegations he had accepted drug money into his campagin, Samper visited Perea during a soccer match. Perea interviewed the President in the broadcast booth and declared his support for the President's Liberal Party government and for Samper's Chief of Staff, Horacio Serpa who was the alleged successor to the presidency in the upcoming presidential election. Perea continued to use his influence on the public airwaves to endorse the Liberal government and Serpa, and to urge his listeners to do the same. Shortly thereafter, Perea decided to enter politics himself.

Perea ran for the Senate in 1998 and won easily. Perea supported Serpa for president, but Andres Pastrana won the election. Perea had hoped to legislate from the Senate during a Serpa-led presidency but found himself fending off criticism and pressure from President Pastrana's Conservative Party supporters in the Senate. Perea was suspended and then expelled from the Senate in 2000 for appearing on television and radio broadcasting soccer matches. Perea believed that since he was a sports announcer by trade, he should be allowed to do play-by-play and that he was not doing anything illegal. The rules however made it clear that a senator was not permitted to appear on television or radio and engage in broadcasts. Perea fought the charges against him and eventually was cleared of any corruption and was permitted to return to politics. Perea lost elections for mayor of Barranquilla in 2003 and 2007.

Since 2003, Perea has publicly supported the presidency of Alvaro Uribe. The 2010 World Cup is slated to be hosted by South Africa. President Alvaro Uribe has appointed Perea Ambasador to Colombia in South Africa. It is believed that Perea's experience in politics, coupled with his outward expressions of patriotism towards Colombia over the years, along with his love of soccer and knowledge of the game influenced President Uribe to appoint Perea to the diplomatic position. Perea would initially be charged with receiving the Colombian national team and organizing its stay in the African nation during the World Cup games.