FIFA president Gianni Infantino hits back at criticism after taking selfie at Pele’s wake

FIFA President Gianni Infantino, left, takes a selfie with Lima, a former Santos soccer player, and others, during the wake of the late Brazilian soccer great Pele, who lies in state, below, at Vila Belmiro stadium in Santos, Brazil, Monday, Jan. 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Andre Penner) — FIFA president Gianni Infantino says he's ‘dismayed’ by criticism after taking selfies subsequent to Pele’s coffin (AP)

FIFA president Gianni Infantino says he's ‘dismayed’ by the criticism he has acquired after he took a selfie subsequent to Pele’s open coffin at a ceremony for the Brazilian soccer icon on Monday.

Infantino was one of many 1000's who travelled to Vila Belmiro stadium in Sao Paulo to pay their respects to Pele, who died final week aged 82.

However the 52-year-old got here beneath hearth after he was seen posing for pictures simply yards away from Pele’s coffin.

In a submit on Instagram, Infantino wrote: ‘Simply landed from my journey to Brazil the place I had the privilege to take part within the lovely homage to Pele that happened at Vila Belmiro, in Santos.

‘I'm dismayed after having been knowledgeable that I'm apparently being criticised by some individuals for having taken a selfie and footage on the ceremony yesterday.

SANTOS, BRAZIL - JANUARY 02: FIFA President Gianni Infantino (2nd L) stands for a photo during football legend Pele's funeral in Urbano Caldeira Stadium on January 02, 2023 in Santos, Brazil. Brazilian football icon Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pele, died on December 29, 2022 aged 82 after a battle with cancer in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The three-time World Cup champion with Brazil is considered one of the greatest soccer legends of all time. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) — FIFA president Gianni Infantino was completely satisfied to pose for photographs subsequent to Pele’s open casket (Getty)

FIFA President Gianni Infantino (C) greets the wife of Brazilian football legend Pele, Marcia Aoki (R), during his wake at the Urbano Caldeira stadium in Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil on January 2, 2023. - Brazilians bid a final farewell this week to football giant Pele, starting Monday with a 24-hour public wake at the stadium of his long-time team, Santos. (Photo by NELSON ALMEIDA / AFP) (Photo by NELSON ALMEIDA/AFP via Getty Images) — Gianni Infantino with Pele’s widow Marcia Aoki (AFP through Getty)

‘I want to make clear that I used to be each honoured and humbled that teammates and relations of the nice Pele requested me if I might take a number of photographs with them. And clearly I instantly agreed.

‘Within the case of the selfie, Pele’s teammates requested to do a selfie of all of us collectively however they didn’t know easy methods to do it. So, to be useful, I took the cellphone of one among them and took the photograph of all of us for him.

‘If being useful to a teammate of Pele creates criticism I’m completely satisfied to take it and can proceed to be useful wherever I can to these having contributed to put in writing legendary pages of soccer.

‘I've a lot respect and admiration for Pele and for that ceremony yesterday that I might by no means do something that may be disrespectful in any means by any means.

‘I hope that those that revealed or stated issues with out figuring out and with out searching for data might have the decency and braveness to confess they have been flawed and proper what they stated.

‘An important in any case is to pay tribute to King Pele, and while I humbly recommended that all through our 211 member associations at the least one soccer stadium or venue is called after him, we are going to set the instance by giving the pitch in our headquarters the identify “Estadio Pele – FIFA Zurich”. Um abraco e viva o Rei!’