Fans mourn Pele at public viewing in Brazil stadium

Mauricio Savarese, Associated Press

Mourners began paying their respects to Pele in a solemn procession past his coffin at the Vila Belmiro Stadium in his home town of Santos on Monday.

The Brazilian football great died on Thursday after a battle with cancer. He was 82.

Pele’s coffin was placed on the field where he scored scored some of the best goals of his career. Mourners walked past his casket in the 16,000-seat stadium outside Sao Paulo.

His funeral was scheduled start at 10am local time, and the burial will take place in a vertical cemetery 600 metres away on Tuesday.

Fans started arriving at the stadium in the early hours of Monday to pay their last respects to Edson Arantes do Nascimento, globally known as Pele.

One of them was Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Gilmar Mendes.

“It is a very sad moment, but we are now seeing the real meaning of this legendary player to our country,” Mr Mendes told journalists. “My office has shirts signed by Pele, a picture of him as a goalkeeper, also signed by him, DVDs, photos, a big collection of him.”

Mr Mendes also said Pele was a humble man despite his global fame, and that he deserves every tribute.

After Pele’s funeral, his casket will be ushered through the streets of Santos before his burial. Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and other dignitaries are expected to attend.

Pele had undergone treatment for colon cancer since 2021. The medical centre where he had been treated said he died of multiple organ failure as a result of the cancer.