FIFA President Infantino Ripped For Selfie in Front of Pelé’s Casket

FIFA President Gianni Infantino takes a selfie with Lima, a former Santos soccer player, during the wake of the late Brazilian soccer great Pele in Santos, Brazil, Monday, Jan. 2, 2023. Photographers had captured Gianni Infantino holding up a phone to take a photo of himself and several others at the wake for football legend Pele at the Vila Belmiro stadium in the Brazilian city of Santos on January 2. Pele died on December 29 at the age of 82 due to multiple organ failures caused by advanced cancer.Gianni Infantino is “dismayed” at the barrage of criticism targeting him for taking a selfie in front of Pele’s casket on January 2.The president of the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has gone on social media to claim that after he landed from his trip to Brazil where he “had the privilege to participate in the beautiful homage to Pele,” he learned of the backlash over the pictures he had taken at the wake for the football legend.“In the case of the selfie, Pele’s team-mates asked to do a selfie of all of us together but they didn’t know how to do it. So, to be helpful, I took the photo of one of them and took the photo of all of us for him,” the FIFA president wrote on Instagram*.He added:”If being helpful to a team-mate of Pelé creates criticism I’m happy to take it and will continue to be helpful wherever I can to those having contributed to write legendary pages of football. I have so much respect and admiration for Pelé and for that ceremony yesterday [Monday] that I would never do anything that would be disrespectful in any way whatsoever.”Pele, who won three World Cups during his 20-year career, in 1958, 1962 and 1970, died on December 29 at the age of 82 after a battle with colon cancer. After a 24-hour public wake began for the iconic sportsman on January 2 at the Urbano Caldeira Stadium – home of his former football club, Santos – reporters caught a snapshot of Infantino holding his phone in his hand and appearing to take a selfie with Pele’s former team-mates just several meters away from his coffin. In the background, one could see the late Brazilian football player’s daughter, Kelly Cristina Nascimento, greeting mourners. Gianni Infantino had attended the wake together with the heads of the South American and Brazilian football confederations, with Pele’s open casket standing in the middle of the pitch.© AFP 2022 / CARL DE SOUZAFIFA President Gianni Infantino (R) attends the wake of Brazilian football legend Pele at the Urbano Caldeira stadium in Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil on January 2, 2023. FIFA President Gianni Infantino (R) attends the wake of Brazilian football legend Pele at the Urbano Caldeira stadium in Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil on January 2, 2023. The FIFA president immediately triggered backlash on social media, and was branded as “classless.”© Photo : TwitterTwitter screenshotTwitter screenshot© Photo : TwitterTwitter screenshot.Twitter screenshot.© Photo : TwitterTwitter screenshot.Twitter screenshot.© Photo : TwitterTwitter screenshotTwitter screenshotMany on social media likened the 52-year-old Infantino to disgraced former FIFA president Joseph Blatter. © Photo : TwitterScreenshot of Twitter account of football writer Casey Evans.Screenshot of Twitter account of football writer Casey Evans.© Photo : TwitterTwitter screenshot.Twitter screenshot.Pele’s body was later placed on a fire truck and escorted through Santos before a private funeral ceremony was held at the Memorial Necrópole Ecumênica cemetery.MultimediaBrazil Bids Farewell to Pele at Urbano Caldeira StadiumYesterday, 14:22 GMT*Meta (Facebook and Instagram) is banned in Russia over extremist activities.

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