Pele’s daughters Flavia and Kely Nascimento have explained how Pele was omitted to hospital to treat a respiratory infection that was aggravated by Covid.
The 82-year-old was admitted into the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Tuesday morning but his daughters are adamant ‘he’s not at risk’.
Flavia and Kely have both said Pele is getting the assistance he needs and even revealed how the 82-year-old had been watching Brazil at the 2022 World Cup.
Pele was hospitalised after contracting a respiratory infection following a Covid diagnosis
Kely and Flavia and Arthur Arantes do Nascimento said in an interview aired Sunday night that Pele, who is also undergoing chemotherapy in his fight against cancer, is expected to leave the Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo once he fully recovers from the respiratory infection. Neither the family nor the hospital have any predictions in that regard.
The hospital said on Saturday that Pele was responding well to treatment for the infection and that his health condition had not worsened over the previous 24 hours. The hospital did not issue any statements on the former footballer’s health Sunday.
Speaking to Fantastico, Kely said: ‘About three weeks ago he got Covid. He is vaccinated, with all the vaccines, but because of the cancer medicine, the chemotherapy, which is fragile, he got a lung infection.
Pele is one of the greatest footballers of all time and won three World Cups with Brazil
‘That’s why he went to the hospital, because of the lung infection. Is he serious? It’s serious, because he’s a certain age, he’s treating cancer.’
Flavia went on to explain how the hospital was the best place for Pele to get the care he needed but insisted the 82-year-old was ‘not in the ICU’.
She said: ‘At the hospital, he is better assisted. But he’s not in the ICU, he’s in a normal room. So he’s not at risk. As a person with a more delicate health, it is better to be in the hospital.’
Flavia went on to say it was ‘unfair to talk about his palliative treatment’. She told Fantastico: ‘It is very unfair to start talking that he is in a terminal state, with palliative treatment.
‘It’s not that. Believe us. More than anyone else, we don’t want that moment to come. Of course, one day it will happen, but it’s not now, you don’t need to be in that alarm anticipating a situation that doesn’t exist now.’
Kely also spoke about how difficult it has been receiving thousands of social media messages about her father and insists ‘he’s not saying goodbye’ yet.
The former striker had received tributes at the World Cup after being admitted to hospital
The France star Kylian Mbappe was among those wishing Pele well on social media
She said: ‘People send me their condolences (on social networks). I say I’m going to put the phone down and I’m not going to answer anyone.
‘I just feel like I have to respond to people. Not to tell everything, but to say that it is not like that. We are not rushing there to say goodbye.
‘We’re taking turns, he’s sick, he’s old, but he’s there because of a lung infection. He’s on antibiotics and when he gets better he’ll go home again. He’s not saying goodbye at the hospital.’
Meanwhile, Pele’s grandson Arthur revealed how the 82-year-old had been watching Brazil at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar despite being unwell.
He said Pele missed injured star Neymar at Brazil’s latest two matches in Qatar – a 1-0 win against Switzerland and a 1-0 defeat of the reserves against Cameroon, both in group stage.
Pele’s daughters said the 82-year-old has been well enough to watch Brazil in the World Cup
Pele’s grandson also revealed how Pele was concerned about Neymar’s (above) injury
Arthur said that Pele was concerned about Brazil’s creativity without Neymar. However, Brazil will face South Korea on Monday in the round 16, with Neymar possibly returning to the team.
Flavia started the conversation by saying: ‘He [Pele] is fine. He saw the first game. We watched it all together, it was really fun.
‘My dad doesn’t like me talking during the game. Yes, he managed to watch (the third), quietly, but he watched.’
Before Arthur added: ‘He thinks that (Brazil) is playing good football. Without neymar it’s difficult. Even he says that, that he can’t create as much, but that with Neymar he can attack more. He thinks that Brazil is playing well and manages to get the sixth.’
