‘I had to say goodbye’: thousands pay their respects to Pelé in Brazil

Family and friends stand over open coffin in Santos, as Fifa president asks countries to name stadiums after football legend

Thousands of mourners braved punishing heat to pay their final tribute to footballing legend Pele on Monday as the president of Fifa said he would ask every member country to name a stadium after the recently deceased Brazilian player.

Fans lined up outside the 106-year-old Vila Belmiro ground in Santos - the city in south-eastern Brazil where Pele first made his name as a star goal scorer in the 1950s - overnight and at about 10am mourners began filing past the coffin that had been placed under a shaded tent in the middle of the field.