FIFA President Gianni Infantino pushed back against critics who spoke out after he took a selfie during Pelé’s public wake on Monday.
Pelé died last week at the age of 82 and a ceremony honoring the late legendary sports figure was held at Urbano Caldeira Stadium in Santos, Brazil, where he played for 18 years.
Photographs from the ceremony showed Pelé’s daughter, Kelly Cristina Nascimento, greeting mourners near the casket as Infantino posed for the selfie in the background.
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino, second from left, poses for a photo during football legend Pele’s funeral in Urbano Caldeira Stadium on Jan. 2, 2023, in Santos, Brazil.
(Mario Tama/Getty Images)
In an attempt to provide more context, Infantino took to his social media platform and posted a different angle of the photo. In the Instagram post a group of Pelé’s teammates are seen with Infantino.
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Infantino mentioned that he was surprised by the level of criticism surrounding the photograph.
“I am dismayed after having been informed that I am apparently being criticized by some people for having taken a selfie and pictures at the ceremony yesterday,” Infantino wrote in a caption.
“I would like to clarify that I was both honored and humbled that teammates and family members of the great Pelé asked me if I could take a few photos with them. And obviously I immediately agreed.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino embraces Pele’s son Edinho at the football legend’s funeral on Jan. 2, 2023, in Santos, Brazil.
(Mario Tama/Getty Images)
“In the case of the selfie, Pelé’s teammates 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 phone of one of them and took the photo of all of us for him.”
Many soccer fans blasted Infantino for the photo, which was characterized by some as “classless.” The controversial selfie also drew comparisons to the disgraced former FIFA President Sepp Blatter.
Blatter was banned from FIFA for ethics violations in 2015.
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“It takes a lot to be worse than Sepp Blatter but Gianni Infantino is running it close,” one Twitter user said.
Pelé died on Dec. 29 following organ failure as a result of colon cancer.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino waves while departing Pele’s funeral in Urbano Caldeira Stadium on Jan. 2, 2023.
(Mario Tama/Getty Images)
“I have so much respect and admiration for Pelé and for that ceremony yesterday that I would never do anything that would be disrespectful in any way whatsoever,” Infantino added.
An estimated 200,000 mourners bid farewell to Pelé during the public viewing. A firetruck transported his body through Santos to his final resting place.
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Pele is arguably the greatest soccer player of all-time and is a three-time World Cup winner.
