Farewell to Pele: wake and procession in Santos as Brazil honours football’s ‘King’
- Fans and dignitaries set to flock to 24-hour public wake at stadium of his former club Santos before procession through the streets
- It follows three days of national mourning and a minute’s silence at the inauguration of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
Brazilians bid a final farewell this week to football giant Pele, starting on 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 honour the “King” of football, who died aged 82 on Thursday after a long battle with cancer.
Stadium doors will open at 10am local time (9pm Hong Kong time). The coffin bearing the remains of the only player to have won three World Cups will be 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 on 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”.