Santos fan and friend of Pelé, STF (Supreme Federal Court) minister Gilmar Mendes was the first official to arrive for the wake of the King of football, which starts at 10am this Monday (2nd) at the Vila Belmiro stadium, in Santos.
He recalled that the two were part of Fernando Henrique Cardoso’s government – Mendes was the Union’s attorney general, and Pelé, Minister of Sports.
“We made the Pelé Law and I didn’t want to avoid this last homage”, he said.
Mendes said he had several of the King’s autographed shirts in his office at the Supreme Court and that they were talking on the phone.
“After the 7 to 1 [derrota do Brasil para a Alemanha], he called me and asked what had happened. I replied saying that I didn’t know, but, as a Santos player, I remembered that Santos de Pelé had lost 6-2 to Cruzeiro in the same Mineirão. He said he had forgotten,” he joked.
Gilmar recalled a phrase by former US president Barack Obama that Pelé is irreplaceable. “I’m not a Santos fan, but a Pelesista.”
The mayor of São Paulo, Ricardo Nunes, the governor Tarcísio de Freitas, the presidents of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, and CBF, Ednaldo Rodrigues, are confirmed. Santos reserved a special entrance for former players.
Public access to the wake will be through gates 2 and 3, exiting through gates 7 and 8. Entry will begin at 10 am on Monday and end at 10 am on Tuesday (3).
Afterwards, the body will be taken in procession through the streets of Santos to the Ecumenical Necropolis Memorial Cemetery.
The burial will be reserved for family members and is scheduled to take place at 2 pm on Tuesday.
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