Thousands of fans lined up at night and early morning to continue saying goodbye to ‘Oh King’ Pele, who will be buried this Tuesday in a cemetery in the Brazilian city of Saints.
The flow of visitors to the burning chapel, in the stadium Villa Belmiroit was intense during a good part of the night, although it was decreasing in the hours before dawn.
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To cheer themselves up at night, the fans of the Santos barras bravas sang the club’s anthem, or the song «a thousand goals», which evokes the difficult to imitate record of 1,283 goals attributed to Pelé.
Lula, present
the president of brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, visited this Tuesday the wake of
Pelé, who died last Thursday at the age of 82, to pay tribute to the former Brazilian soccer player at the Vila Belmiro stadium in Santos.
The 77-year-old progressive leader and a great soccer fan, approached the field of Santos, the club where Pelé rose to world stardom, two days after assuming the head of state for the third time, and they remained about half hour, for religious acts.
Lula at Pele’s funeral.
Suited and accompanied by the first lady, rosangela «Janja» da Silva, the former metallurgist, entered the wake, where family and friends were waiting, and while Brazilian fans passed by the side of the tent. Immediately afterwards, a Catholic ceremony began.
A priest pronounced a prayer that Pelé’s soul «suffers nothing» and sets course for «immortal life in the eternal kingdom.»
«Lord, give him happiness, light and peace,» said the father during the religious ceremony.
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