Jingles Pereira

Francisco Ivo De Jesus Pereira (2 November 1945 – 3 September 2023) was a Portuguese-born South African footballer who played as a midfielder. He was a part of the 1981 quadruple-winning Kaizer Chiefs.

Early life
Francisco Ivo De Jesus Pereira was born on 2 November 1945. He grew up on a farm in Vereeniging where he eventually gained skills from playing with the black labourers' kids. People at his school wanted him to play rugby but he loved soccer and he was heavily criticised for playing the black man's sport.

Playing career


At the age of 24, Pereira won the 1969 NFL Footballer of the Year award.

At Cape Town City he was the team's top goalscorer in 1973 and 1974 and helped them win the NFL, UTC Bowl and the Champion of Champions.

Pereira joined Chiefs in 1979 as the third white player in their history. Pereira was later converted into a sweeper and was part of the legendary Glamour Boys side that won the quadruple in 1981 before retiring in 1983 with a 276-goal tally. Pereira was even given an "African" nickname by the Chiefs supporters: "Baba ka Sibongile".

Managerial career
Pereira coached Benoni United, where he discovered Roger De Sá, before joining the Orlando Pirates on 29 April 1986 after the Pirates' poor prior run of two wins in 11 matches.

Post-retirement
Pereira was the owner of Nova Papers (Pty Ltd) with his two brothers-in-law and two nephews in downtown Johannesburg. His company produces products such as kitchen towels, serviettes, garage rolls etc.

Personal life and death


Pereira was married three times. His second wife died in a car accident. His third wife is called Helena. He was named Jingles when he played for Stewarts & Lloyds when he was 10 years old because he always had two pennies in his pocket as his good-luck charm. The pennies tinkled in his pocket as he ran on the field and one senior player, Bobby Farrel, said: "Go on, Jingle Bells, go on."

Before his death, he lived in Sandringham, Gauteng.

Pereira died on 3 September 2023 at the age of 77, after an illness.