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Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva paid his last respects to Brazilian football legend Pelé on Tuesday before a state funeral. Thousands of football fans and dignitaries, led by Swiss FIFA president Gianni Infantino, attended for one last look at Pele’s coffin in the same stadium where he stunned the world in his early days with his club Santos .
Brazil and its president, Luis Inácio Lula da Silva, say goodbye for the last time, after declaring three days of official mourning, “King” Pele, who died on Thursday at the age of 82 after a long fight against the disease.
And travel Lola da Silvawho officially took office Sunday in a ceremony that began with a minute’s silence in honor of Pele, in the southeastern city of Santos to “pay homage and honour” at the end of the 24-hour open funeral.
Emotion was evident on Lula’s face as he and his wife, first lady Rosangela da Silva, stood in front of Pele’s coffin and embraced his widow and family members inside the Villa Belmero stadium, home of the old club of Pele, the Santos.
Thousands of football fans and dignitaries, led by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, took one last look at Pele’s coffin in the same stadium where he stunned the world in his early days with his most famous club, Santos.
“Pelé is eternal. He is a global football icon,” Gianni Infantino told reporters on Monday, adding that FIFA will ask all member states to name one of their stadiums after the Brazilian in his honour.
She is an old fan of the club Santos Katja Croce, 58, said she queued for four hours to arrive at Villa Belmero at 1.30pm to get one last look at Pele’s coffin. She remarked: “Pele was everything. He was the king. He deserves this honor.” He also recalled that Pelé was “a very good and humble person” and always signed the souvenirs that people brought to his home, Agence France-Presse was told, adding, “He was humble, a humility that today’s players I do not have.”
In turn, Antonio Carlos Pereira da Silva, a 36-year-old artist, indicated that he arrived in the middle of the night to be among the first inside the stadium when the open-air funeral began on Monday morning. “If I said I didn’t cry when he died, I would be lying,” he said in an interview with Agence France-Presse. He continued: “Pelé taught us a lot. Not just Brazil, but the whole world.”
Garlands of flowers of Neymar and Real Madrid
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, nicknamed Pelé in his early years, emerged at the age of 15, when he had his first professional experiences with the Santos Club.
He managed to win the World Cup three times with his country in 1958, 1962 and 1970, becoming the only player in history to achieve this feat.
The entire world was struck by the Pele phenomenon, which was confirmed at the time of his death, after messages of condolences poured in from all parts of the world, including many current and former star players who expressed their admiration for the “king” as a player.
Many sports stars, politicians, dignitaries and fans traveled to Santos to watch the latest ceremonies, although the advent of New Year’s Eve around the same time prevented many from arriving.
Men dressed in black, led by Pele’s son Edinho, carried the legend’s coffin onto the pitch on Monday morning.
Before the open coffin of the “king”, the widow of the late Pele wept as she reached out to touch his head, Marcia Sibile Oki, his third wife, with whom he was associated in 2016.
The coffin was decorated with the flags of Santos and Brazil and surrounded by white flowers, including wreaths presented by Real Madrid and current Brazilian star Neymar, whose father was in attendance.
postal round
Tributes arrived from all over Brazil. While in the headquarters of the Brazilian Football Confederation in Rio de Janeiro a giant poster was raised with the image of Pele with the words “eternal”.
Pele was recently treated for colon cancer, before his health deteriorated after suffering kidney and heart problems.
But he remained active on social media, cheering on the Brazilian national team from his hospital bed in Sao Paulo during the World Cup in Qatar and offering his condolences to the Seleção, considered one of the most important title hopefuls before the start of the World Cup, after be eliminated from the quarterfinals, three weeks before his death.
In a final round, the funeral procession will wind its way through the streets of Santos to the home of Pele’s 100-year-old mother, Celeste Arantes, before concluding at the Santos Memorial Cemetery, where the final funeral will take place before Pele’s burial in a private mausoleum. .
France 24/AFP
