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FIFA President Gianni Infantino appeared today to take a selfie next to the open casket of soccer legend Pelé, whose wake is currently taking place in Brazil.
Infantino was in the city of Santos to pay his final respects to the player considered the greatest of all time, who passed away this Thursday at the age of 82.
Thousands of mourners, including Pele’s wife and brother, passed through Vila Belmiro, home of Pele’s former club Santos, where the open casket with ‘El Rey’ was displayed in a temporary structure in the center of the pitch.
It was there, next to Pelé’s coffin, that Infantino appeared to stop to take a selfie with a group of men, including former Santos player Manoel María, a few feet away from the body of the late soccer legend.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino (left) appeared today for a selfie next to the open casket of soccer legend Pele (below), whose wake is currently taking place in Brazil. Former Santos player Manoel María wears the blue polo shirt
In the photo: Infantino stops to take a selfie with a group, a few meters from Pelé’s coffin
In the same image, Pele’s sister could be seen, as the FIFA president handed her a mobile phone to take a selfie with the man.
In a second photo, another man stopped to take a selfie with Infantino and the men the FIFA chief had previously been seen taking a photo with.
While standing near the coffin, Infantino was also seen comforting Pele’s widow Marcia Aoki and her son Edinho while shaking hands with others below the awning.
Attending the 24-hour wake along with the heads of the South American and Brazilian soccer confederations, Infantino was one of the first to pay tribute.
Infantino has been accused in recent months of wanting to be the center of attention. Ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the FIFA president left fans in awe with a bizarre speech.
Standing near the coffin, Infantino was also seen comforting Pele’s widow Marcia Aoki (right) and her son Edinho while shaking hands with others under the awning.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino (right) greets the son of Brazilian soccer legend Pelé, Edinho (left), during his wake at the Urbano Caldeira de Santos stadium, Sao Paulo, Brazil, on January 2.
Infantino was in the city of Santos to pay his last tribute to the player considered the greatest of all time, who passed away this Thursday at the age of 82.
The game’s world governing body had come under fire for its decision to take the final to Qatar, where the treatment of migrant workers and the rights of LGBTQ+ people have been heavily criticized.
In his 90-minute speech, the president compared his own experience as a redheaded boy to that of gay and disabled people at a news conference.
Infantino said: ‘Today I feel Qatari. Today I feel Arab. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel (like) a migrant worker. Of course I’m not Qatari, I’m not Arab, I’m not African, I’m not gay, I’m not disabled.
‘But I feel like it, because I know what it means to be discriminated against, to be intimidated, as a foreigner in a foreign country. When I was a kid, I was bullied, because she had red hair and freckles, plus she was Italian, so go figure.
He was also criticized for his actions during the trophy ceremony at the World Cup final on December 18, in which Argentina beat France.
Before Argentine talisman Lionel Messi received the trophy, he was draped in a black tunic, or bisht, a traditional Qatari garment. Infantino then slowly led Messi towards the trophy and then across the stage towards his teammates.
This led BBC pundit Alan Shearer to quip: “I didn’t think Infantino would let him go either”, before Gary Lineker added: “No one marked him.” [Messi] so loud during the game!’
In addition, after the world cup, Infantino was ridiculed and outraged on social media after a video resurfaced of the FIFA president visiting the Salt Bae restaurant in Dubai last year, following the antics of the World Cup final. World Cup of the famous chef.
Questions have been raised as to why the famous chef was allowed onto the pitch as the Argentine players celebrated their World Cup triumph.
Infantino has been accused in recent months of wanting to be the center of attention. Before Argentina’s talisman Lionel Messi was presented with the World Cup winning trophy, he was draped in a black tunic, or bisht, a traditional Qatari garment. Infantino then slowly led Messi towards the trophy, and then across the stage towards his teammates.
As Pele’s wake continued on Monday, Infantino announced that FIFA will ask every country in the world to name a stadium for the Brazilian soccer legend.
“We are going to ask all the countries in the world to name one of their soccer stadiums after Pelé,” Infantino told reporters gathered in Vila Belmiro, the stadium where the player known as “El Rey” first blew up. on the court. world stage with his exploits for his former club, Santos FC.
“We are here with great sadness,” Infantino said. Pele is eternal. He is a global soccer icon.
FIFA had already flown the world’s flags at half-mast on Friday outside its Zurich headquarters in honor of Pele, whom the organization has named the greatest player of the 20th century.
Pelé, the only player in history to win three World Cups, died in a Sao Paulo hospital after a long battle with cancer.
The wake on Monday will be followed by a funeral procession through the streets of Santos on Tuesday, then a private burial ceremony.