By MAURICIO SAVARESE
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian soccer stars past and present are under fire from fans for skipping Pelé’s funeral and opting to pay their respects on social media.
The three-time World Cup champion was buried in his hometown Tuesday after more than 230,000 mourners passed by his casket at Vila Belmiro stadium in Santos. Pelé died last Thursday after a battle with cancer.
Fans expected former Santos players like Neymar, Rodrygo and Giovanni to attend. They also hoped retired greats like Zico, Romario, Ronaldo, Kaká and Ronaldinho Gaucho would show up at the beach city 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of São Paulo.
Their social media accounts were flooded with comments by angry fans after Pelé’s burial.
None of the players from Brazil’s 2002 World Cup winning squad attended. One of them — former star midfielder Kaká — was criticized because he had complained during an interview in December that Brazilians do not honor their sports heroes as much as foreigners.
“You didn’t even show up for the funeral of the man who paved the way for you to have the life that you have,” said Joao Vitor Custodio on Kaká’s Instagram post about Pelé that drew more than 5,000 comments, including many about his decision not to come for the tributes.
THIS ARTICLE WAS SOURCED FROM AP.
