Open funeral ceremonies began Football legend Pele in a Brazil Monday, for 24 hours in the stadium of his most famous club, Santos. The club’s stadium, nicknamed ‘Pixie’ – ‘fish’ in Portuguese – and located by the ocean, witnessed a huge influx of fans who flocked to honor The “king” of footballfollowing his death at the age of 82 on Thursday after a long battle with cancer. The body of the player, the only three-time winner of the World Cup, was displayed in the center of the stadium.
Carlos Mota and his 12-year-old son Bernardo traveled more than 500 kilometers from Rio de Janeiro to Santos, a port city in southeast São Paulo state, to pay homage to Pelé.
“My whole childhood was influenced by what Pele did for Brazil with his World Cup victories. He was a national symbol,” Mota, 59, told AFP. His young son Bernardo commented: “I’ve never seen Pelé play, but I’ve seen the videos. He IS the greatest player ever.”
FIFA invites all countries to name one of their stadiums after Pele
FIFA President Gianni Infantino and CONMEBOL President Alejandro Dominguez were among the first to offer their condolences at the open funeral, and Infantino said: “We stand here in great pain. Pelé is eternal. He is an icon of world football “.
The FIFA president also called on all countries in the world to name a stadium after Brazilian football legend Pelé: “We will ask every country in the world to name one of its football stadiums after Pelé,” he said. The Juventus stadium that hosted the funeral of the “king” is known as Villa Belmero, from the name of the neighborhood in which it is located, and can accommodate 16,000 people.
Pele is 82 years old.
Three giant banners were seen in the stands on Sunday, one of which showed a photo of Pelé wearing the famous number 10 shirt. On another he wrote ‘Long live the king’ and on the third ‘Pelé, 82’. Officials said entry to the stadium would be allowed until 10am on Tuesday.
Afterwards, the procession will wind its way through the streets of Santos, a port city 75 kilometers (47 miles) from the state capital, São Paulo. The funeral procession will pass through the home of Pele’s mother, 100-year-old Celeste Arantes, although she is unaware of her son’s death.
Pele’s sister, Maria Lucia do Nascimento, told ESPN on Friday that her mother “doesn’t know and isn’t conscious.” The procession will conclude in a cemetery in Santos, where Pelé will be buried in a private mausoleum.
