Pele will not be taking Friday’s World Cup draw after rejecting the opportunity to do so through fears of landing Brazil in a difficult group.
He will, however, be in the audience for the occasion, and confirmed that it was his decision not to take part, Daily Mail informs.
‘President Dilma (Rousseff) suggested that I represent Brazil when it came to pulling the balls out of the pots, which I’ve done several times before,’ Pele said.
‘I preferred to turn down the offer because I wouldn’t feel comfortable in picking out balls which are not favourable to Brazil.’
Pele has earned a reputation in Brazil as a ‘pe-frio’, literally ‘cold foot’, although he gave a sarcastic response when asked about it.
‘I won five world titles, two with Santos and three with the national team and I scored more than one thousand goals, so you’re right, I’m a cold foot,’ he said.
