Irish Examiner view: Turning the wake of a true great into the Gianni Infantino show

The Fifa president's reputation was bad enough already and then he compounds it with his tacky behaviour at Pelé's funeral

Fifa president Gianni Infantino further disgraced himself, if that were possible, by taking selfies during the wake in Brazil for the great Pelé. Picture: André Penner/AP

Fifa president Gianni Infantino’s reputation took a battering after his tone-deaf speech at the beginning of the recent World Cup.

Readers may recall the excruciating oration when Infantino said “today, I feel gay ... Today, I feel [like] a migrant worker”, as he launched a tournament preceded by the deaths of thousands of migrant workers and which was played in a country, Qatar, with a terrible record on gay rights. 

Fifa went on to support Qatar’s stance, threatening to sanction any player who chose to wear a rainbow armband.

Any iota of sympathy for Fifa and Infantino which might have survived the World Cup is likely to have disappeared after its antics since the recent passing of Pelé.

Infantino first called on all member federations to name a stadium in their country after Pelé, a cheap, headline-seeking stunt that exposed Fifa’s egotistical, wand-waving approach to world football, entirely removed from the grassroots game.

However, as the Brazilian icon lay in state this week, Infantino went a step further, smiling inanely as he posed for a selfie by Pelé’s coffin, thus carving out an entry all his own in the annals of inappropriateness. He has since said he is “dismayed” at the criticism, saying he was asked by Pelé’s family and teammates.

One thing is for sure: Pelé’s funeral became, for a time, the Infantino show. Perhaps he should revisit his World Cup speech with an edit or two: "Today I feel crass..."