As Brazil observes, Saturday, December 31, its third day of national mourning after the death of the legendary Pelé, the main European football championships pay tribute to him this weekend.
In France, a minute of applause is organized before the kick-off of the matches of the Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 championships from Friday to Monday, at the request of the Professional Football League (LFP). A photo of Pelé with the World Cup trophy won by Brazil in 1970 will be shown on giant screens in stadiums, the LFP said.
In Marseille on Thursday evening, before the match between OM and Toulouse (6-1), the 60,000 spectators at the Vélodrome stadium stood up at the request of the stadium announcer and applauded for a good minute, while chanting the name of Pele.
In Spain, a minute of silence is observed before each match of the fifteenth day of the championship, from Thursday to Saturday evening. Thursday evening, Atlético de Madrid and Elche were the first to respect this measure, and the players placed themselves around the central circle before kick-off. Antoine Griezmann and his teammates played the game with a black armband around his arm.
Black armband and applause
In England, a minute of applause is scheduled before the matches of the eighteenth day of the Premier League. Players and referees will wear black armbands and a photo of Pelé will be shown on stadium screens.
This is the black and white photo taken with the Santos club before the semi-final of the Paris tournament played against Racing Club de France, at the Parc des Princes, on June 13, 1961, the press service said. of the Premier League to AFP.
In Italy, a minute of silence will be observed in the stadiums on January 4, during the next day of Serie A, announced Friday the Italian football federation, the FIGC.
Several European football personalities have evoked the memory of Pelé. According to Arsenal manager, Spaniard Mikel Arteta, Pelé “changed the dimension of world football because he could do everything”. For his Tottenham counterpart, the Italian Antonio Conte, “cWhat he was doing with the ball in certain situations was unbelievable.”. Former Manchester United goalscorer Denis Law believes that “Pelé was an incredible footballer, he had style, grace, flair and made everything easy. (…) More than anything, he was a good man, with a great aura and a fantastic smile. »