Fireworks greet Pele’s coffin as Brazil bid legend farewell

Mourners wear jerseys with an image of Brazilian football legend Pele as they queue to get in the Urbano Caldeira stadium, also known as Vila Belmiro, where a wake in his honour is being held, in Santos, Sao Paulo State, Brazil, on January 2, 2023. – Brazilians bid a final farewell this week to football giant Pele, starting Monday with a 24-hour public wake at the stadium of his long-time team, Santos. (Photo by CARL DE SOUZA / AFP)

The body of Brazilian football legend, Pele, was, yesterday, moved from the hospital, where he died to the stadium of his former Club Santos. Pele’s wake was held at Santos Football club yesterday, where his coffin was placed in the centre of the pitch for the public to pay respects. Pele, who won three World Cup titles for Brazil, the only player to do so, died at the age of 82 in Sao Paulo on Thursday, December 29, 2022.

The oceanside home of the team nicknamed ‘Peixe’ — ‘fish’ in Portuguese, witnessed a huge influx of fans looking to honour the ‘King’ of football. Stadium doors opened at 10:00 am local time (1300 GMT), with the coffin bearing the remains of Pele displayed in the centre of the field.

Known as Vila Belmiro after the neighbourhood, where it is located, the black-and-white stadium has a capacity of 16,000 people. In the stands, three giant flags could be seen Sunday, one with an image of Pele displaying the famous number 10 on his jersey.

Another bore the message ‘Long live the king’; the third said simply, ‘Pele 82 years’. Entry to the stadium will be allowed until 10:00 am today, officials said.

After that, a procession was held through the streets of Santos, a port city about 75 kilometers (47 miles) from the state capital Sao Paulo. The parade passed the house of Pele’s