The Brazilian legend has been labelled a traitor by a group of 150 protesters who marched against the hosting of the 2014 World Cup on Wednesday night.
A banner at the protest read “Pelé, traitor of the century.”
The 73-year-old helped Brazil to its first three World Cup titles. Both he and 2002 champion Ronaldo, on this year’s organizing committee, were lambasted by the group as “enemies of the people”.
“They were great players but now they are out of touch – it’s a shame,” said one demonstrator.
Larger protests are expected to take place across the country during the World Cup.
Those at last year’s Confederations Cup caught authorities by surprise as more than a million people took to the streets to voice their anger at crumbling public facilities and rampant corruption.
