FIFA President Gianni Infantino has lashed out at criticism of his photos taken during the wake for Brazilian soccer legend Pele. “I want to make it clear that I felt very honored when teammates and family members of the great Pele asked me if I could take some photos with them. And of course I said yes immediately,” wrote the world governing body on Instagram.
Some of Pele’s former teammates at FC Santos asked him on Monday near the late idol’s open coffin “to take a selfie of all of us together, but they didn’t know how to do it. To help them, I took it mobile phone of one of them and took the picture of all of us for him,” Infantino defended.
Came to “recollect” at the foot of the coffin of the greatest footballer of all time at the Santos stadium in Brazil, the president of the #FIFA Gianni #Infantino pull out his cell phone and photograph this moment in front of the poor #Skin lying. What indignity, what shame. #vomit pic.twitter.com/C5nqbhLVln
— Arnaud Bedat (@ArnaudBedat) January 2, 2023
Sharp criticism of Infantino
With this action, the 52-year-old received harsh criticism on the Internet. His behavior was described as “disrespectful”.
The selfies include Manoel Maria (74) and Lima (80), both of whom played with Pele at FC Santos.
Pele: President Lula also says goodbye
At the end of the wake, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said goodbye to the football legend.
He wanted to “pay his respect and recognition to Pele, who is revered in Brazil as “O Rei,” the king.
Lula, who took office Sunday with a ceremony that began with a minute’s silence for Pele, paused in front of the coffin, hugged widow Marcia Cibele Aoki and other family members, and said a prayer.
Around 230,000 people pay their last respects to Pele
Pele’s embalmed body was publicly laid out in the stadium of his former club FC Santos for 24 hours, around 230,000 fans and companions paid their last respects.
To applause from family and friends, the coffin was sealed at 10:04 a.m. local time, leaving the widow in tears.
Nobody from the current Selecao around superstar Neymar was there, but most of the professionals also play in Europe.
Pele: Stars and ex-stars are missing from the grave
Even greats like Ronaldo, Romario, Cafu or Kaka did not appear at the ceremony, only Mauro Silva from the last two world champion teams was present.
After the wake, the coffin was to be taken in a funeral procession through the streets of the port city of Santos, 75 kilometers south of Sao Paulo.
The procession was also scheduled to pass by the house where Pele’s 100-year-old mother, Celeste Arantes, lives. Pele’s funeral will then take place in the family circle.
Pele, who was the only player in history to have won the world championship three times, died on December 29 of complications from cancer.