'Stop the invasion': Football legend Pele tells Russian president Vladimir Putin
football legend Pele called on Wednesday for Russian President Vladimir Putin to end his army's invasion of Ukraine, as the war-torn country's national team kept alive its hopes of qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. "Today Ukraine tries to forget, at least for 90 minutes, the tragedy that still engulfs their country," Pele wrote in an open letter to Putin, posted on Instagram just before the Ukrainian men's football team faced Scotland in a World Cup playoff semi-final. Ukraine defeated Scotland 3-1 and will face Wales on Sunday to decide who will be the final member of Group B -- alongside England, the United States and Iran. "I want to use today's match as an opportunity to make a request: stop the invasion. There is absolutely no justification for this continued violence," added the three-time World Cup champion. "This conflict is wicked, unjustifiable and brings nothing but pain, fear, terror and anguish... Wars only exist to separate nations, and there's no ideology that justifies projectile missiles burying the dreams of children, ruining families and killing the innocent."
