• Pele passed away on Thursday after losing a long battle against cancer.
• Premier League and EFL to hold minute’s applause and black armbands in tribute.
• Pep says Pele made football “a better place” for his ability to connect people.

In honour of Brazilian football star Pele, Premier League and English Football League teams will don black armbands and observe a minute of applause.

Pele, a three-time World Cup champion, died on Thursday at the age of 82 after a protracted battle with cancer. Worldwide tributes of the iconic football player have poured in, and Brazil has proclaimed three days of national mourning.

The upcoming Premier League round will consist of 10 games, with the first two games taking place on Friday and the final eight on Sunday.

“In honour of Pele, Premier League clubs will hold a minute of applause prior to kickoffs at matches taking place from Friday, December 30, to Sunday, January 1, (Matchweek 18). Black armbands will be worn by players and match officials, according to a statement from the league.

However, the EFL announced that it would hold a minute of applause prior to its games on Friday and on January 1 and 2.

Players will wear black armbands and there will be a minute of applause before all EFL games today, January 1 and 2, the statement read.

In the meanwhile, Pele’s flag has been flown at half-mast at FIFA’s headquarters in Switzerland “as a sign of respect and grief.”

Apart from leagues and regulating bodies, managers also showed respect, with Pep Guardiola of Manchester City claiming that Pele’s capacity to evoke strong emotions in spectators made football “a better place.”

There isn’t another programme or event that can evoke this level of feeling. These elite players do it as part of their job, according to Guardiola.

For these guys, football is just football. Prior to him, the number 10 was just a fantastic number; after him, it took on a special significance. In their team, every star player coveted wearing the number 10. He stated, “What he has done for football is there and will always be there.

The Brazilian legend was praised as a “absolute giant” of football by Newcastle boss Eddie Howe.

Howe remarked that Pele was revered as the greatest player the world had ever seen during his generation.

It’s quite depressing. Every time an idol dies, football is left in a very sad place. He’s definitely well remembered around the world, based on how the media and everyone else involved in football responded to him, the speaker continued.

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