Gianni Infantino, President of the International Federation of Football Associations, received harsh criticism from many Brazilians and Pele fans around the world for taking selfies with a number of people while attending the memorial service for the late Brazilian legend in the Brazilian city of Santos, which prompted him to break his silence and respond to it. .
Venu se “recueillier” at the pied of the cercueil of plus grand footballer of all the temps at Stade de Santos, au Brésil, the president of the #FIFA Gianni #Infantino dégaine son portable and photographie this instant devant of the #Pelé gisant.
Quelle indignité, quelle honte.
#àvomir pic.twitter.com/C5nqbhLVln
- Arnaud Bédat (@ArnaudBedat) January 2, 2023
And a large number of social media pioneers transmitted a picture showing Infantino taking selfies with a group of people near the body of the late, while smiling on his face, which sparked disapproval and anger of many fans of the Brazilian legend.
In addition to selfies, Infantino's making televised statements during the events also sparked a wave of criticism among fans of "King" Pele.
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A post shared by Gianni Infantino - FIFA President (@gianni_infantino)
In a message he posted on social media, the president of the world's largest sports body rejected all criticism describing his behavior as "disrespectful" towards the legend Pele.
Infantino wrote in his message, saying, "I just arrived from my long trip from Brazil, and I was told that I was criticized by some people for taking selfies during the memorial service."
He added, "I want to clarify that I had the honor of being asked by some former colleagues and members of Pele's family to take pictures with them, and as you have noticed, I responded directly to them."
Lamentable… pic.twitter.com/S0qJLfJUSy
— San Cadilla (@SanCadilla) January 2, 2023
He also explained, "Regarding the selfie, one of Pele's former colleagues asked me to take a group selfie with them, and he does not know how to do it, so I took his phone and took the picture for all of us for him."
Likewise, Infantino stressed that he would always be "helpful and at the service of Pele's colleagues as one of the makers of football history," as he put it.
He concluded, "I love Pele very much and am a big fan of him, and I can never do anything that disrespects him during the ceremony."
He also called on people who "spread this news without verifying the information to have the audacity to admit that they were wrong."
Pele died last Thursday at the age of 82, after a busy career that saw him score more than a thousand goals, and he is the only player to have won the World Cup 3 times with the Brazilian national team.