World football legend Edson Arantes do Nascimento, popularly known as Pelé, was pronounced dead on 29th December 2022.
Born on 23rd October 1940, the Brazilian legend – one of the all-time greats in the football world – is reported to have succumbed due to the failure of multiple organs in São Paulo.
“His death was due to the failure of multiple organs, a result of the progression of cancer of the colon associated with his previous clinical condition,” a hospital statement on Thursday confirmed.
Below are some tributes from Ugandan celebrities:
Pele will be buried in a 14 storey cemetery in the centre of Santos on Tuesday following three days of official mourning.
The three-time World Cup champion, who died yesterday, will be taken from the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paolo on Monday to the Vila Belmiro Stadium where members of the public will be able to pay their final respects.
His body will remain on the centre circle for 24 hours before he is taken through the streets of his home city to stop briefly outside the home of his 100-year-old mother, Celeste, who is bed-bound, according to local media.
He will then be taken to the Memorial Necrópole Ecumênica, which was dubbed ‘A Tomb With A View’ in a 2014 short film on the cemetery, claimed to be the world’s tallest.
Frank Lampard, the former England and Chelsea midfielder who is now manager of Everton, recognises the enormous impact Pele had in the game.
Lampard, 44, said: ‘There’s huge respect for him as a player and as a person, as all the responses since yesterday have shown. He was a great man as well as a great player.
‘He was one of the greatest without doubt, so a sad day for football.
‘The reach of his name in the game was obviously huge. It just gets bigger with age. We have lost him unfortunately but his name will continue for evermore because of his impact on the game.’
The Premier League and EFL have said as a mark of respect, all games this weekend will see players wear black armbands with a minute’s applause prior to kick-off.
