Afrigather 
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has responded to criticism he has obtained after he took a selfie subsequent to Pele’s open coffin at a ceremony for the Brazilian soccer icon on Monday, January 2.
Infantino was one of many hundreds who travelled to Vila Belmiro stadium in Sao Paulo, Brazil to pay their respects to Pele, who died final week aged 82.
However the 52-year-old FIFA chief got here below hearth after he was seen posing for pictures away from Pele’s coffin.
In a put up on Instagram on Wednesday, 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 befell at Vila Belmiro, in Santos.
‘I’m dismayed after having been knowledgeable that I’m apparently being criticised by some folks for having taken a selfie and photos on the ceremony yesterday.
‘I wish to make clear that I used to be each honoured and humbled that teammates and members of the family of the good Pele requested me if I might take a couple 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 find out how to do it. So, to be useful, I took the telephone of one in all them and took the photograph of all of us for him.
‘If being useful to a teammate of Pele creates criticism I’m completely happy to take it and can proceed to be useful wherever I can to these having contributed to jot down legendary pages of soccer.
‘I’ve a lot respect and admiration for Pele and for that ceremony yesterday that I’d by no means do something that will be disrespectful in any method in any way.
‘I hope that those that printed or mentioned issues with out figuring out and with out in search of data might have the decency and braveness to confess they had been improper and proper what they mentioned.
‘An important in any case is to pay tribute to King Pele, and while I humbly prompt that all through our 211 member associations at the least one soccer stadium or venue is called after him, we’ll set the instance by giving the pitch in our headquarters the identify “Estadio Pele – FIFA Zurich”. Um abraco e viva o Rei!’
