Brazil declares three-day national mourning for Pele

A funeral for Brazil legend Pele will be held on Monday at the home of his former club Santos, after the World Cup winner died at the age of 82, with president Jair Bolsonaro declaring three days of mourning after the news.

Pele, a world champion in 1958, 1962 and 1970, had been treated for colon cancer in recent years.

He passed away on Thursday at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo, and tributes have come flooding in from across the footballing world.

The forward played the bulk of his career with Santos in his homeland, scoring more than 600 times for the Brazilian side. It is there that fans will be able to pay their respects to Brazil’s all-time joint-top scorer.

“The body of the greatest football player of all time will be laid to rest at Estádio Urbano Caldeira, in Vila Belmiro, where he enchanted the world,” a statement from Santos read.

“The body will go straight from the Albert Einstein Hospital to the Stadium at dawn on Monday (2) and the coffin will be placed in the center of the lawn.

The public wake is expected to begin at 10 am.”

All the details on how and where to say goodbye to the King of Football, Pele, have been released.

The football world is in mourning after the Brazil and Santos legend died on Thursday from colon cancer. He was 82.

As players and football clubs around the world paid their respects on social media, Santos Futebol Clube released all the details on how fans can say goodbye to one of the game’s all-time greats.

The proceedings were finalised as Pele’s health deteriorated throughout November and December, with the man himself having a say on where the funeral would take place.

When is the funeral being held?

Pele’s public ceremony will take place from January 2, 2023, until the morning of January 3. There will be gate access for the general public and separate entrances for political officials and other prominent figures, along with members of the press.

His private burial will occur following a parade through the streets of Santos on January 3.

Where is the funeral being held?

Pele will be embalmed and taken from the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo before his public funeral at Vila Belmiro (Santos’ stadium) starts on January 2.

The public event will last exactly 24 hours, after which there will be a procession through the streets of Santos celebrating the icon. Then, he will be privately buried alongside other family members in the Memorial Necropole Ecumenica.

Details on the private burial

After Pele’s coffin is paraded through the streets of Santos, he will be laid to rest in the Memorial Necropole Ecumenica. This area will not be accessible to the public.