Brazilian soccer legend Pele made a public plea on Wednesday to Russian President Vladimir Putin to end his "wicked" and "unjustifiable" invasion of Ukraine, minutes before Ukraine's national team played in a World Cup qualifying game.
"I want to use today's game as an opportunity to make a request: Stop this invasion. No argument exists that can justify violence," Pele said in a statement published on Instagram.
"This conflict is wicked, unjustifiable and brings nothing but pain, fear, terror and anguish."
Pele and Putin last met in Moscow in 2017 during the Confederations Cup, a championship held before the World Cup. The Russian leader has named Pele as one of his favorite players.
"When we met in the past and exchanged smiles accompanied by a long handshake, I never thought one day we would be as divided as we are today," wrote Pele.
Want to say
-
While sorting through the archives on the eve of the 20th of January, I came across a folder with photos given to me by my late colleague Farhad Kerimov.
-
On January 7, during a press conference between President I. Aliyev and local TV channels, a representative of Real TV asked: “Do you see Trump in the same boat with us...?”
-
I would like to briefly discuss a highly important reform initiated by the Azerbaijani government 10 years ago but remains incomplete to this day.
-
In our society, there is no place under the sun for enlightened people. In our society, the place for enlightened individuals is in dark basements. People who ought to spread light are subjected to curses. Their only weapon is their bright ideas. Their only crime relates to daring to uncover truths hidden beneath the societal fog, bringing them to light and acquainting the community with them. Natig Javadli was such a person, a journalist with a historical consciousness and an enlightening activity.
Leave a review