FIFA boss Gianni Infantino’s reputation has been ruined in many places – but the Swiss don’t care much. Now his respect in public is probably sinking a little more. Because at the public wake of football legend Pelé, he poses in a good mood for a selfie.
With a selfie at the wake for the Brazilian football icon Pelé, Gianni Infantino should cause a stir again. The 52-year-old president of the world football association FIFA took a picture of himself with the former Santos professional Lima using his smartphone – not far in front of them was the coffin with Pelé laid out in the Vila Belmiro stadium of FC Santos. The legend of the game died last Thursday at the age of 82 after a long battle with cancer.
During his visit on Monday, Infantino said that FIFA would ask all 211 football federations in the world to name a stadium after the outstanding footballer Pele in the future. “The children, the coming generations around the world, need to know who Pele was. And if they score a goal in a stadium named after Pele in 30, 50, 100 years and ask who he was, we can say: He was the greatest and he moved us,” said Infantino.
The Swiss recently caused a stir with wild speeches and statements at the controversial World Cup in Qatar. Among other things, he chose a bizarre savior comparison in an opening speech and announced that he felt, among other things, “gay” and as an “Arab”. In addition, he had raised several associations against himself by banning the “One Love” bandage. Among other things, the DFB then withdrew his allegiance. Infantino received a lot of criticism on social networks for his action at the wake. Many users accuse him of a lack of shame and a lack of tact. What is behind the photo and who took the initiative is still unclear. Several media reports that Infantino was repeatedly approached to pose for group pictures.
The first Pelé fans had already arrived in front of the stadium on New Year’s Day in the afternoon, around 20 hours before the gates opened, and they slept in the queue – so that they could be the first to say goodbye to their idol. “We have lost our king. The greatest in the world,” said one. Edson Arantes do Nascimento, Pelé’s real name, was the only player to have won the world championship three times. According to official figures, he scored 1,283 goals in his 21-year career, most of them at FC Santos.
The night before, Pelé’s coffin had been transported the 75 kilometers from Sao Paulo to the port city, and hundreds lined the streets – fans waved huge flags and lit fireworks. His son Edinho wrote on Instagram in the early hours of the morning: “We’re taking the king home.”