Thousands of fans bid farewell to Pele at Brazil´s football stadium

Fans from all around the world visit Brazil’s club’s Vila Belmiro stadium to say their final farewell to football legend Pele, where he will lie in state for 24 hours  

Fans of Brazilian football legend Pele are saying their final farewell at the home of his former club Santos, where he will lie in state for 24 hours.

The stadium, which is now the home of Brazilian club Vila Belmiro, was the ground where Pele played his entire club career. 

His coffin was carried to the field on Monday, December 2 at the stadium, which is located in a satellite city of Sao Paulo, where he grew up.    

Fans started gathering outside the stadium much before his coffin reached, with reports of several people even sleeping on the streets outside. 

Millions of people are now expected to visit Santos, over the next few days to offer their final farewells, as he will be buried on Tuesday at the Memorial Necropole Ecumenical, a vertical cemetery in Santos.  

The three-time football World Cup champion died at the age of 82, after a long battle with colon cancer.  

Following his death on Thursday, tributes were paid from across the world, as Brazil also announced three days of national mourning in his honour.  

Several authorities including the newly sworn-in Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and the FIFA President Gianni Infantino joined mourners 

Gianni also announced that he will ask every country in the world to name a football stadium in honour of Pele.

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