Brazillian football hero Pele appeal to people ” Lets forget this protests ” but Brazilians gave the only answer to football crusted ” Go to hell Pele “
Brazil is currently hosting the Confederations Cup, a tournament seen as a dry-run before it hosts the World Cup next year, which is expected to draw an estimated 600,000 visitors to the country.
“Let’s forget all this commotion happening in Brazil, all these protests, and let’s remember how the Brazilian squad is our country and our blood,” Pele said in a brief broadcast via the O Globo TV network, which was also posted online.
Brazil’s two biggest cities agreed to revoke an increase in public transportation fares that set off demonstrations.
Those demonstrations grew into nationwide protests of more than 200,000 against poor public services, inflation and corruption.
The decisions, made separately in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, followed another day of protests across Brazil, which also included a march by demonstrators around a major international soccer game in the north-eastern city of Fortaleza.
This month’s transport fare hikes, which came as Brazil struggles with annual inflation of 6.5 per cent, stirred a groundswell of other complaints, leading to the biggest protests to sweep Brazil in more than two decades.
Despite being revered by soccer fans the world over, Pele’s image has been tarnished at home.
He has delivered a string of perceived clumsy comments over the years, once prompting former Brazilian striker-turned-politician Romario to famously comment that “Pele when silent is a poet”.
Social media users were less than complimentary about his latest comments, many saying that Brazil great’s wealth meant he knew little of how ordinary Brazilians lived.
“Now Pele takes it upon himself to record a video telling the population to forget this commotion and back the squad. The national squad, FIFA, the stadiums costing millions, go to hell,” one Brazilian posted on her Facebook page.
“Go to the hospitals, take a bus with no security, then I want to see if you keep saying stupid things,” wrote another in response to an online local media report on his remarks.
“Pele, your ignorance is in proportion with your footballing genius,” said another post.
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