Pele’s Burial : African Leaders , Nígeria , Ivory Coast Others Bid Farewell .
The Nigerian Ambassador to Brazil , Prof . Mohammad Makarfi , yesterday , 2nd of January, 2023 , marked a diplomatic presence at the burial ceremony of soccer king , Edson Arantes de Nascimento , king Pele . The soft spoken ambassador retracts the impact of king Pele in the world of football , he said Pele impacted a lot in Nígeria and to African people in general
“ King Pele interrupted the Biafra war in Nígeria for Santos of Pele to play in Benin . Pele’s legacies remain forever “ Says the Professor on a TV interview in Santos .
The wake which started at the early hours on Monday 2nd , 2023 also counted with the presence of other African diplomats, presidents , ambassadors , friends and well wishers .
African Ambassadors and diplomats in Brazil arrived Santos for the burial proceedings. The President of Brazil , Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva also graced the occasion in Santos
The Guinea Bissau , Ivory Coast , Zambia , Congo , Angola , Mozambique , South África and other diplomatic missions bid farewell to the king in Santos
According to Santos TV , king Pele loved Africa , he identified himself to the people of Africa , he played in Nígeria , Congo and impacted lives in Africa .
The Brazilian football legend, who passed away last week at the age of 82 after a battle with colon cancer, has been lying in state at the Urbano Caldeira stadium in Sao Paulo, where he scored so many goals and established himself as one of the best players of all time.
His coffin was paraded through the streets before a private family burial later today (January 3). The Ancestrals report Pele decided he wanted to be buried within sight of his former ground.
And his family have honoured that wish. He will be lowered into a vertical tomb on the ninth floor of the Memorial Necropole Ecumenica cemetery in his beloved home city, a nod to the kit number his dad Dondinho wore.
Pele wanted to pay homage to his late father and mentor, who passed away in 1996. And his final resting place, in the world’s tallest vertical cemetery, means he will always be connected to Santos too.
