Final farewell for Pelé, Brazil’s football ‘King’

A 24-hour public wake will be held at the stadium of his long-time team, Santos

January 2, 2023| Times of Malta 1 min read
Flowers and tributes are placed by fans at the foot of a sculpture of Brazilian football legend Pele at the Vila Belmiro stadium in Santos. Photo: AFPFlowers and tributes are placed by fans at the foot of a sculpture of Brazilian football legend Pele at the Vila Belmiro stadium in Santos. Photo: AFP

Brazilians bid a final farewell this week to football giant Pelé , starting Monday with a 24-hour public wake at the stadium of his long-time team, Santos.

The oceanside home of the team nicknamed “Peixe” — “fish” in Portuguese — is expecting a huge influx of fans looking to honor the “King” of football, who died aged 82 on Thursday after a long battle with cancer.

Stadium doors will open at 10:00 am local time (1300 GMT). The coffin bearing the remains of the only player to have won three World Cups will be displayed in the center of the field.

Known as Vila Belmiro after the neighborhood where it is located, the black-and-white stadium has a capacity of 16,000 people.

Read the full story on www.sportsdesk.com.mt

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