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CNN International: Pele Died in Sao Paulo on Thursday after a Long Battle with Cancer; Brazil Holds Public Wake for Football Icon; Kyiv Urges Residents to Conserve Power after 3rd Day of Attacks; Brazilians Come Together to Honor Late Football Hero Pele; Growing Number of Countries Restrict Travelers from China; ITV to Air Exclusive Prince Harry Interview on Sunday. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired January 02, 2023 - 08:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[08:00:00]

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MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST NEWSROOM: Hello and welcome to CNN "Newsroom". I'm Max Foster in London, just ahead Brazilians to get chance to say good bye to global Football Icon Pele. As his wake opens to the public this hour we are live in the stadium where thousands are expected to pay tribute.

This as Brazil welcomes a new President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. We're now told he will attend Pele's wake. Plus, mourners begin to pay their respects to the late Pope Emeritus Benedict, as he lies in state at the Vatican for live in St Peter's Square.

This hour Brazil mourners are pouring into a football stadium in Santos outside Sao Paulo to bid farewell to Pele. The football legends casket will remain at Urbano Caldera Stadium for the next 24 hours before a private funeral. It's a fitting farewell for man whose talent on and off the pitch turns into a global icon and the king of the beautiful game.

Fireworks went off as well wishers lie in the streets earlier today to see the hearse carrying Pele's body from the hospital where he passed away on Thursday to the stadium. For more than six decades and then Pele has been synonymous with football itself. He played in four World Cups and won three of them but beyond the trophies is the legacy that transcended the sport.

We're following the story on two continents CNN sports Coy Wire is in Atlanta. But first, we're going to Stefano Pozzebon, he's in Santos, Brazil. The casket just arrived, didn't it? What's the atmosphere like?

STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST: Yes, indeed, Max of course, a very somber atmosphere. The stadium is still closed. So it's only the press and the few members of police family standing next to the casket. So the casket arrived just a few minutes ago and paraded next to the pitch to get to the stage just behind my back here.

There are seats for about 50 members of police family that will be allowed in under the tent that you can see. So that they can say pay their respects to their relatives, the body is actually exposed inside the casket while any minute now the gates are off these a stadium that so many of police triumphs. The gates will open and the fans will be allowed to enter and slowly made their way as close as possible to the casket itself and pay their respects.

Right now, of course, he's also like to think a little bit about this stadium where normally everybody who is involved, who know you're polite, who knew what he meant for Santos? Recollect the joy that he brought to the beautiful game the joy that he brought to football.

So the stands would be always full of cheerful fans screaming and chanting his name. And right now, the stadium and pretty much the rest of the city actually is completely silent in a sign of respect for the greatest footballer of all time according least to those who met him.

We were actually had the privilege of spending a couple of days here in Santos. The whole city is full of tributes to Pele, they declared the seven days of mourning inside the city and even on New Year's Eve. His presence was felt for the millions who were on the beach given a welcome to 2023, so really a somber moment right now and word funeral to start the New Year, Max.

FOSTER: The procession going past his mother's house so a lot of people around the world will not be aware his mother's still alive.

POZZEBON: Yes, exactly, the procession will look tomorrow because the body will lie for 24 hours but tomorrow, which is the actual funeral, the procession will bring the body in around the City of Santos. One of the spot is of course his mother's house. So she's just a little older than 100 years old.

So she will be allowed to say her last goodbye to her son. And then of course, look, you know, places there were significant for him. We understand, you know, there's a statue close to the beach, there is a bakery that he used to go to when he was a player.

His favorite barbershop is just a stone's throw from the stadium. So the procession will actually go and touch all the places that were so important for him and the cemetery will Pele will be laid to rest for eternity is just a couple of 100 meters from the stadium itself. So he will, it's a very global you can see from behind my back that there are crews from all around the world.

So it is an international story. It is a global funeral, but at the same time it does have a local atmosphere, a local taste that is very Santos. This was his club this is where he scored the vast majority of his 1284 professional goals.

[08:05:00]

POZZEBON: And this is his people and where he will stay for the rest of time. So yes, international story but actually a very local Brazilian Santos story and just as we speak the first step would probably have been show you with do that the first fans have been allowed you can see there, Max. The gates of the stadium are actually open and the first one who arrives is a fan in a wheelchair behind him hard.

Two people wearing the Brazilian flag, one with a sign of a support this club. And so that the way is actually beginning at this time right now and you will see that they will be allowed close to the casket to play the respect to their hero to their icon. You know it's sometimes you think of football as just the game.

Well, Pele definitely transcended that on and off the pitch. He was an icon, just for the city for the whole of Brazil and for the whole of football. So, this is literally beginning and you know this history is coming to fruition right now, Max.

FOSTER: Yes, I mean, Coy. I mean, this is history unfolding. Isn't it this moment here? I think a lot of people around the world will look at this stadium. Obviously it's a hallowed ground because Pele played there and you know, had so many famous moments there but it's quite a small ground isn't it only 16,000 people?

COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yes, it's. He's a global icon a national treasure, Max. That's why there's national mourning, you know, when the world recognizes you as only with one name, you know, your something Serena Tiger Pele, you know, coming from the slums of Sao Paulo, Brazil in the 1940s. He became a master of his craft mind boggling abilities is the ability to control the ball the ability to make these goals that were just unthinkable at the time.

And now, today you see stars trying to emulate things. He was doing so long ago, at just 17 years old, he won his first World Cup. He scored two goals in their win over Sweden. He's being hoisted upon his shoulder by his countrymen, and they didn't even know if people back home had seen them.

He just Pele talked about how he hoped his family saw him score those goals. And he returned a legend, a rock star and match being 17 and then not ever being able to be a kid again anymore. He took his club team Santos to another stratosphere.

He had the ability to pause a war 1967, he and his team Santos they traveled to Nigeria and they prompted warring factions to call a 48 hour ceasefire in the country Civil War. That's how powerful he was on the field and, of course, transcended sport. He ended up retiring in 1977 with a world record 1281 goals and 1363 career professional games.

So just an absolute legend, but he's obviously so much more than that. He was what Brazilian people could aspire to be he would represent it all, that not just the kids in slums all across Brazil could become someday but you look at what he did afterwards becoming a U.N. ambassador for ecology and for the environment and he really was a mensch like figure to so many people, not just Brazilians, but people around the world knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1997 so just an incredible life of a man who came from tough upbringing to become an absolute legend.

It's interesting, isn't it? As you say, we know him only by one name, which shows his status. But this always feels like a state occasion, doesn't it? It feels more than a football is being laid to rest this feels, you know, like a figure on the world stage. You transcended not just football, but even sport in a way.

WIRE: Yes, Max, you know, I get. Go ahead. Stefano, go ahead.

POZZEBON: No, what I was just trying to say is that I've said it a couple of times before, like the atmosphere that we've been living through for the past couple of days and even in the weeks mounting up to his passing were similar. At least they reminded to me when I was a kid and John Paul II died back in Italy. So I don't want to - blast payments, but actually, he did really get to that level of importance, at least for these countries almost as a Pontifex and I find it striking that today.

We are seeing the two icons of the 20th century and the early 21st century, laid one next to Tyler in Rome. And here in Santos as the New Year commence and see literally these two giants of history saying their final farewell from this war. I think it's a very interesting coincidence the history is given to us, Max.

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FOSTER: Stefano and Coy thank you both very much indeed back with you of course through the day. Let's take a look back at the impact Pele had on football. We're joined by sports writer broadcaster and author Ian Stafford he's owner of the Sporting Club.

Thank you for joining us. I mean what are you, what's going through your mind as you see all these people a lot of them local, I believe? You know, going into that you know, very famous stadium and about to come face to face literally because it's an open casket with Pele.

IAN STAFFORD, FOUNDER & OWNER OF THE SPORTING CLUB: Well, you trust upon it being almost like a States funeral. That's exactly what it is? It's a state funeral. Similar thing happened with is and Senate as well, although this is even bigger. I've got a friend who went to Bob Marley's funeral and Senate's funeral and he said he could never go to a bigger funeral than then Senate.

Well, it's happening today. Pele transcended sports, not just football sport. Pele put little Brazil large in the size of the country, but seen as backwards seen as third world. Pele helped by some other footballers put Brazil on the map.

The country was a massive debt to that man and it's in keeping with him with his humility, that he was a one club man until right at the end when he went to New York. So though he was he played for little Santos. As you pointed out, it's a stadium that holds 16,000 people, you know, not too far away in Rio, there's the American Bar that can hold up to new well used to be able to hold up to nearly 200,000 people.

So it was a lonely club on the edge or the periphery of Sao Paulo and he turned that club into one of the greatest clubs in the world, the Harlem Globetrotters a football going all over the country, haunting a one in Nigeria. Kings and Queens, shakes themselves in dropping everything to be able to shake his hand. So I totally expected and understand and get the enormity of today. It is the passing of what he's known as the King, the King of football, but in Brazilian terms, he's the King full stop.

FOSTER: And was the game Pele in his time? We're constantly making these comparisons, aren't we, with modern day footballers? Who's the best? A lot of people saying well, you know, it was much simpler than without the same sort of technology and training exercises that you have today. So arguably, you know, that was one of his greatest achievements really managing to, you know, still those videos still can stand the test of time don't know even against today's players.

STAFFORD: Yes, I think one of the positives, if I may use the positive of Pele's passing, and it was no surprise to anybody. I've actually been working on a project with Pele, the Polioplus. So I knew very well I interviewed him in the summer, it was pretty much his last interview he did.

So as sad as it is, it was of no surprise to anybody really, of his passing. But one of the positives about his passing is that we've just come out of a World Cup. We've seen Lionel Messi do what he did and everybody said, well, that's it that there's proof that Messi is now the greatest.

Now, that view has dissipated pretty quickly over the course of the last few days, because a lot of people are waking up or reawakening to what Pele did. There's a great phrase, once a cliche now, which is whatever you see in football, Pele did it first and you might it's one of those great debates, who's the greatest?

I put on LinkedIn a few days ago, listening Pele, as the all-time greatest footballer indeed the second all-time greatest sports person in the history of sport just behind Muhammad Ali. And the argument says he played on substandard pitches Muddy baggy. He played when you could almost decapitate somebody before you got sent off. He was a target. He got hounded out of the 62 World Cup even worse in 66. If we're going to stop Pele stop Brazil, we have to stop Pele.

So he was chopped to bits. He wasn't a large man, physically very strong, very quick, but not a large man. And what he did, with nothing like that the education that sports people have today, the diet and the nutrition, the quality of the football pitches, the fact that a player like Pele today would be protected so much more by the laws of the game. The fact that you can play longer the fact that your fitness is better, it's all so much better the footwear everything is so much better than it was then.

So I mean you can't even imagine what Pele will be doing today in today's standards and what the game throws up. So the end of the day only one player ever won the World Cup three times in which he played a massive part in two of those three World Cups. Then he throws in all the goals, all the stats for a little clover as well and that's why he's the greatest.

[08:15:00] FOSTER: It is a fantastic story and now our thoughts with everyone they're really grieving particularly the family who will be involved lots more, of course. So, thank you so much for joining us Ian Stafford. Brazil's new President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva is due to attend Pele's wake either today or tomorrow.

That's according to his spokesperson. He was sworn in as Brazil's new President on Sunday in the capital, Brasilia. CNN reporter Julia Vargas Jones joins us from Santos Brazil outside the stadium where Pele's wake is currently underway. He transcended so many things, didn't he Pele? But he also transcended politics in that country, because whether you're on the right or the left, you wore a Pele shirt and you supported him and everything you represented.

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN REPORTER: Yes, Max, and we're seeing a lot of Brazil shirts here today now a little bit less politicized than they have been over the past four years, you know, they were a symbol of President Bolsonaro supporters. And now at this point, people aren't really showing the pride of putting on that Pele jersey, the green and yellow shirt with the number 10. Lots have been around here this crowd.

It's been growing by the minute we've been here since early this morning. I've been talking to people they're telling me stories from when they were little kids being brought into this stadium, this very stadium to see Pele play. You know, your guest before me talked about how this was not a very prestigious team, prestigious club, but Pele made this club and that's what people are talking about here.

They're telling me that they're so grateful for what he did. And of course, the newly elected newly stated President is coming here today. He has to do, right this is this is a state funeral. This is a moment that Lula could not miss as he goes into his presidency. This is a historic moment for Brazil to be here.

In celebrating this founding father of Brazilian culture, he was an ambassador for us Brazilians abroad that has inspired so many people. There were people here, kids, 5, 6, 10, 15 years old, I spoke to them and they're telling me, look, I didn't get to see Pele played but it's what he means for our country. That's why we're here we want to get a chance to at least be in his presence, even in death, Max.

FOSTER: I'll be local broadly are these you know, as either local hero in this situation or people coming from further away to sort of just be part of this moment in history?

JONES: I'm sorry, Max. I'm not sure what you're asking. But I think you're asking me if people are coming from far away? They are - there are people coming from a lot of people coming from Sao Paulo people are coming from a little bit farther in the state. But remember, this is such a historical moment.

I don't think that anyone would want to miss it even though it's been quite a busy few days for Brazil. We lost Pele on Thursday. On Friday, then President Jair Bolsonaro left the country have to the United States to be in Florida, on Saturday, New Year's Eve, huge holiday for Brazil. On Sunday, we get a new President all of that while we've been holding our breath to see if there would be a peaceful transition of power.

So there's so much going on that that it's almost hard to focus on the future. What Lulu is trying to start today here when he signed a series of executive orders, undoing a lot of what Jair Bolsonaro had done over the last four years? One of them is making tougher gun control laws. He's putting the focus back into the Amazon but also really tackling poverty and hunger issues that had been in the service heart since his very first Presidential campaign in 1989.

FOSTER: Julia Vargas Jones outside the stadium thank you so much for joining us. Just ahead Former Pope Benedict is lying in state in Vatican City will take you live to St Peter's Square. As mourners their pay their respects. And Russia intensifies its aerial bombardment on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. We'll have a live report from Kyiv.

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FOSTER: Former Pope Benedict is lying in state at St Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. He passed away on Saturday at the age of 95. The faithful are lined up to say goodbye. Benedict stands Catholics 10 years ago when he became the first pontiff in almost 600 years to resign as Pope citing his advanced age.

Pope Francis will lead Pope Benedict's funeral service which is set for Thursday. CNN Senior International Correspondent Fred Pleitgen joins us from St. Peter's Square in Vatican City. That will be an extraordinary moment, won't it? You know, sitting Pope presiding over the funeral of an ex-Pope.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it certainly will be an extraordinary moment. I think everything that we're seeing unfold right now, Max is all already a pretty extraordinary time here in the Vatican. If you look at when Pope Benedict passed away, which was the Vatican says it's precisely 9:34am on Saturday.

One of the first people by his side was his successor was Pope Francis and the Vatican says that Pope Francis was by his side for about a little more than half an hour. They're obviously saying prayers for the deceased Pope Emeritus. And then also, of course, praising Pope Benedict the 16th in the many masses that have been taking place here at the Vatican at St. Peter's over the past couple of days to ring in the New Year, for instance.

And what we're seeing right now is pretty remarkable scene as well. You can see the people who are lining up here to pay their respects to Pope Benedict. We're seeing obviously a lot of people coming here from the local area from Rome but also some folks with are starting to come in from overseas as well.

Specifically Germany, of course, the Pope was from Germany, Pope Benedict, and he was very attached to his homeland variants attach especially to that region in Bavaria, where he was from the final letter that he left behind. He praised his homeland and said that it had given him a lot of power and also brought him to be very close to the Catholic Church, which then of course, became his life as well.

So right now, we're seeing this remarkable scene unfold here and you're absolutely right, Max. All of this, of course will culminate on Thursday, when the funeral for Pope Benedict the 16th will take place and Pope Benedict had said that he wanted his funeral to be a humble affair if we recall back to 2005 the funeral procession therefore for Pope John Paul II that was a massive event with many heads of state coming here to run the city absolutely packed millions of people probably a smaller affair, but definitely the way that Pope Benedict the 16th would have wanted it, Max.

FOSTER: Extraordinary moment Fred Pleitgen in Vatican, thank you, turning now to Russia's war on Ukraine and the third straight day of attacks targeting civilian and critical infrastructure. Authorities in Kyiv urging residents to reduce their electricity use amid emergency power cuts. The Ukrainian Military says it shut down dozens of Iranian made drones overnight.

[08:25:00]

FOSTER: It comes days after Russia launched a blistering wave of deadly missile and drone attacks on New Year's Eve and what Kyiv is calling an intimidation tactic. CNN's Ben Wedeman joins us live from the Ukrainian capital. Ben, a suggestion from Kyiv that this is, you know, as much as about the fact that they're not winning on the ground as the attacks on the sky.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And that's really been the case going back to September, when the Russian suffered that defeat in the Kharkiv region. The Russians have increasingly targeted the infrastructure, particularly the energy infrastructure of this country. And as far as Kyiv goes, Max over the four of the last five days, we have seen strikes on the Capitol here, over the weekend, as many as 45.

They're using this Shahed 135, Iranian made drones which explode upon impact now. The strike on New Year's Eve it killed one person at the time dozens others were injured, but another person of those injured has passed away today. As you mentioned, the authorities here are calling upon people to conserve their use of electricity because of the damage caused to the power system.

Now we're also hearing from the TASS the Russian news agency, that as many as 63 Russian soldiers were killed on a strike and a Ukrainian strike on - which is in the occupied part of the Donetsk region. So the Ukrainians continue to fight back clearly, somewhat effectively, Max.

FOSTER: In terms of what Kyiv is preparing for now. How are they dealing with their strategy through the winter? How can they cope with these onslaughts? WEDEMAN: Well, it depends upon how badly the infrastructure is hit on any given day. They're able to repair it to a certain extent but given that this is becoming an almost daily occurrence, it's going to be harder and harder to keep the system running. Now, various countries have provided emergency generators but that may not be enough.

After all, Kyiv is a city of several million people and you can only bring in so many generators and the fuel to power them. So they're doing the best they can under the circumstances. But if this Russian onslaught continues, at some point, it may simply overwhelm the authority's ability to keep the system going, Max.

FOSTER: OK, Ben Wedeman thank you for joining us from Kyiv. Now millions of Americans are under threat of severe weather. Over the next few days a storm system expected to dump several inches of snow in the Northern Plains and Midwest while parts of the south could see severe thunderstorms and possibly tornadoes.

Heavy rain in a short amount of time could cause flash flooding in some areas. The same system caused dangerous flooding in California over the weekend. A film star Jeremy Renner is recovering in hospital after a snow plowing accident. A spokesperson says Renner is in a critical but stable condition.

Authorities haven't said anything about the extent of his injuries or what caused the actual accident. The actor owns property near a ski area outside Reno Nevada. Recent winter storms have dumped large amounts of snow in the region. Up next the world is saying goodbye to the man known as the King of football will take you back to Pele's Wake in Brazil next.

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FOSTER: The world is saying goodbye to the man who will remain a Football Legend. He's alive pictures of the stadium in Brazil, where Pele's Wake is taking place. Thousands of fans will pay their respects over the next 24 hours dignitaries too.

The man called "The King of Football" died Thursday at the age of 82 after a long battle with colon cancer. This family will hold a private funeral on Tuesday earlier fans turned out to watch his hearse arrive at the stadium.

Pele's list of superlatives is long. On that list, the only man to win the World Cup three times as a player. We've got more from our team. Let's go to CNN Sport, Coy Wire. He's in Atlanta. And we've been talking about him as a legend for so long, haven't we? But it's just got about a very different feeling to it now that he's passed.

WIRE: Yes. You can talk about Max right all of the accomplishments, the three World Cups, as you mentioned, no player has ever done there. And there might not be another player to ever do that, again.

He is first one was one of just 17-years-old back in 1958. But to your point, he was so much more than a football player, his being his presence his accomplishments transcended sport. He was a kind humble soul. He said that he learned from his parents that you never feel like you are better than anyone.

And he took that with him until his final days. He was a mensch like character to so many people. He represented inspiration, motivation for Brazilians, hopes and dreams. They looked at him and say we can be that we can succeed.

And that also goes for all of the kids who grew up in the slums in Brazil, like he did in the 1940s in Sao Paulo. They look at him, his mind boggling ability and his ability to make these goals that were just unimaginable. And they look at him and say, I want it to be that.

So the echoes of his life you just can't quantify what he actually means to not just the people of Brazil, but to the sport as a whole to be on sport. This is a guy who was a UN Ambassador, you know, in Ecology and in the Environment.

He was so dedicated to making this planet this earth a better place. So it's really hard to put into words into perspective, just how big of a figure he was? He was a national treasure. That's why there's national mourning that we're seeing down there he was so important to Brazil and beyond.

FOSTER: Let's go to Stefano. He's actually there in the stadium. And Stefano, the first public mourners have been allowed in. We can see them filing past. What sort of reaction are they giving to this moment, this kind of very privileged moment really to spend time with the casket?

POZZEBON: Yes, indeed. It's a very somber moment Max that we've seen some of the fans of course, shedding a tear, most of them trying to save this moment as a memory by taking photos in the areas of the stadium where they are allowed to.

[08:35:00]

POZZEBON: We've been told by the - media press corps that they're not allowing pictures, to take photos of the casket itself from very close by. Among the first notable foreigners who arrived here to pay his respect is FIFA President Gianni Infantino who walked into the stadium about 15 minutes ago. I believe he's currently paying his respects under the tent below - behind my back, sorry.

And I think, you know, these tells you, just as we were saying, the double dimension of Pele, just as Coy was saying, a global icon, a person who really transcended sports, who went. He was an Ambassador for Brazil around the world.

He represented Brazilians and the Brazilian way of playing the beautiful game - but at the same time, he always because of his humbleness because of his humble roots, and because of a loyalty that he showed towards Santos was - the football club that he played for the vast majority of his career before signing for New York Cosmos. Where he also remains a very local character here in Santos and that's why you see inside the stadium and also outside the stadium where we have another team? You see just simple people, local people who wanted to pay their respect and saying goodbye to a person who everybody here knew, just simply as Pele. Over the last few days, we had the privilege of speaking with somebody who was a close friend of Pele.

And they always try to make a distinction between the public Pele, the Pele that everybody knew, and then adding so the friend, the local person who will show up at the bakery who will show up at the barber store next, just around the corner.

And so the - slight dabble moment of a global funeral, a global historic moment for everybody who's here had the privilege to cover it, but also a very local farewell from a city to its most famous person who is linked to the city for sure Max.

FOSTER: I was listening to the FIFA President there. So this isn't just about members of the public, is it? We're also going to have the President there the new president. This is, you know, States like event, in many ways?

POZZEBON: In indeed. The President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who was inaugurated just yesterday, we understand he's coming here to Santos. We don't know exactly what time between today and tomorrow the body will lie just behind my back for the next 23 hours.

So during the night, people will still be able to enter the stadium and pay their respects. Other people expected here of course, Florentino Perez, the President of Real Madrid, some football stars from around the world. Just as Coy was saying Pele was a mentor for many of them.

He developed a relationship with Killian MBappe with Neymar, who are currently players at the top of their game. And of course, with many Brazilian stars of past decades. So you can understand - you probably see that there is another tent behind the big tent where Pele's body is exposed.

And the other time has been prepared for VIPs and authorities to stay and gather and present the moment. Because I'm at the tent on the - only the family itself and a very limited number of selected guests are allowed to go under the tent and actually be very close to the casket itself.

But yes, as you said, it's almost a state funeral something that Brazil hasn't had for many years. And you can understand like the City of Sao Paulo, its allowing more than 50 million people. So many people are expected here over the next 24 hours Max.

FOSTER: Stefano and Coy, thank you both very much indeed. Brian Winter is Editor-In-Chief of the Americas Quarterly. He's also a Vice President of Policy at the Americas Society and Council of the Americas.

And he joins me now live because this isn't just a football moment is it or a sport moment? It's an international moment. It feels like - we've talked about already. It feels like a state occasion when you look at the military and the way the public are filing by and the sort of dignitaries we see arriving there?

BRIAN WINTER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, AMERICAS QUARTERLY: Now you have to remember that for a lot of people for many, many years, Pele was Brazil and Brazil was Pele. He came of age and it really at the beginning of the television era. He was the person who people knew and that was a role that he played exceptionally well both on and off the soccer field.

FOSTER: So, you know, when we have international dignitaries arriving what are they paying their respects to you know his sportsmanship or his statesmanship?

[08:40:00]

WINTER: Maybe a little bit of both. I mean, I think that he - the thing that I admired most about him during the short period when I knew him those 10 years ago. I helped him write a book that was published on the eve of the World Cup that Brazil hosted in 2014.

And he was somebody who enjoyed a level of fame that is almost hard to comprehend today. I mean, he was one of the world's two or three most famous people for a period of 30 years or more. And by the way, I'm not sure who the other two people were as well-known as he was?

Maybe Queen Elizabeth and whoever was the Pope at the time. That's what kind of figured he was, especially in that latter half of the 20th century. And yet at the same time, as your correspondent has noted, and I've certainly been reading in the Brazilian press over the last couple of days, he conducted himself with simplicity and a humility that was really unusual.

I mean, one thing that's worth noting is that his autograph is not worth very much as a collector's item. And that's in part because he signed so many autographs over the course of his career. I mean, I have this connection with him because of this book.

And it's shocking to me how even in here United States, and especially in New York, where I live now, everybody has a story of meeting him and getting an autograph back in 1979 or 1996? I mean, this was the other element of him was his longevity. And so a remarkable man and, you know, he'll be missed.

FOSTER: Bolsonaro was a big fan. We're also seeing that Lula's a big fan as well. I guess you have to be a fan if you're a Brazilian politician, but it does show how he managed to carry himself as a statesman. He didn't know, of course, you may know what his politics was? But he trained he sort of transcended politics, didn't he and brought the - he was a uniting figure for the nation?

WINTER: Well, you're right to know that note that. And on the one hand, you know, there was a long history of governments in power are trying to use him trying to take advantage of his popularity, the military dictatorship that governed Brazil from 1964 to 1985 notoriously tried to sort of cover them in the glory that he brought back for the country.

But on the other hand, you asked about his politics. And I can tell you based on what I heard from family members, as well as directly from him, for better and for worse, he just didn't really care. I mean, this was a guy who really only had time for two things, his fans and his activities on the field and playing soccer, sometimes to a fault.

I mean, there are certainly Brazilians who are critical of him for not speaking up during those dictatorships - the years of the dictatorship when human rights abuses and other things were being committed. But, and some people mistook that for support for the regime that was in power at the time.

And my impression was that this was just a guy who was happiest on the field in fact, at one point during his playing career he actually signed over his power of attorney to a manager to kind of handle his financial and other affairs for him. And he got badly burned for that.

And he lost everything not once, but twice in terms of his fortune during his playing career. But I've mentioned that as a sign that this was just a guy who wanted to spend as much time as possible on soccer and on his fans and didn't have much time for anything else.

FOSTER: That's fascinating insight. Brian, thank you very much indeed for joining us, the Editor-in-Chief of America's Quarterly. Now the list of countries clamping down on travelers from China is growing as Beijing struggles with a surge of COVID cases. Coming up how the world is responding to the outbreak?

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FOSTER: Qatar has become the latest nation to impose restrictions on travelers from China. Starting Tuesday, the Gulf state will require a 48 hour negative PCR tests. Morocco has gone even further that it will ban all visitors from China regardless of their nationality.

This is all in response to China's biggest surge of infections since ditching its zero COVID policy. Other nations including the U.S., England, France, Australia, South Korea and Japan are requiring travelers from China to get or show proof of a negative COVID test CNN's Ivan Watson tracking the story from Hong Kong. What's China's response to this? Are they being pragmatic about it? Or is it an issue?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The state media is saying hey, the government is taking the wise proper steps in dealing with the pandemic, the virus that was first detected in China, way back in the autumn of 2019.

Back for several weeks now with a vengeance, ripping through the major cities it is not believed experts say to have reached the rural areas yet in force. There are some experts who have said it has peaked already in cities like Shanghai. Anecdotally, we're hearing about things disturbing things like the crematoriums being backed up the funeral homes, look at this footage from the lobby of a hospital in Shanghai and you just get a sense of the numbers of people who are ill right now.

A flipside of that is that the vast majority of the population has now apparently in these big cities contracted COVID been sick and now has gotten over it. A friend of mine in Shanghai described going to see the sequel to avatar in the movie theater and just everybody was coughing in there and saying that you could just see people in Shanghai coughing on the streets.

But there is some seriousness to this and there are concerns internationally about millions tens of millions of infections creating new variants. The World Health Organization announced that it had a high level meeting with Chinese health officials on Friday and is seeking further information on what's happening?

It said "The W. H. O. again asked for regular sharing of specific and real time data on the epidemiological situation. It wants more genetic sequencing data, data on disease impact, including hospitalizations, admissions, and ICU and deaths and data on vaccinations and vaccination status".

The concern is that a new variant could come out and that is perhaps why a growing number of countries are imposing steps like demanding a negative COVID test some 48 hours before travelers from China and Hong Kong and Macau get on flights.

So that list includes the U.S., the UK, Italy, France, Japan, South Korea, Spain, Malaysia, India, now Qatar and as you pointed out, Morocco, which has visa free travel for Chinese citizens has banned any traveler from China whatsoever for the time being Max.

FOSTER: OK. Ivan in Hong Kong thanks you. Up next, we traveled back to Brazil thousands of bidding farewell to the Football Icon Pele.

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FOSTER: For the next 24 hours thousands of football fans will bid farewell to the football icon Pele. This is the scene at the stadium in Santos, Brazil where Pele rose to fame. He died Thursday from colon cancer at the age of 82.

He was the only man to win three World Cups as a player. You can see that the casket been brought in and then it gets laid down and dignitaries are allowed to go up to the coffin whilst the public files past some railing. CNN's Sport Coy Wire joins us live with a look at the life and the career of Pele. What are you thinking today Coy?

WIRE: Max, it's, you know, you get goose bumps thinking about how powerful this life was when you see these images of the people who come to celebrate the life of just some soccer player, right? He was so much more than that. It was 1950 when Pele was about 10-years-old in Brazil in the slums of Sao Paulo, and he saw his father crying there when Brazil lost to Uruguay in the 1950 World Cup and he told his father as a 10-year-old stop crying dad, I'm going to win the World Cup for Brazil someday.

And then not only does he go on to win three World Cups, which has never been done and may never be done in history. He goes on to score 1281 goals and 1363 career matches with his club team Santos which he just took to another stratosphere.

So you look at the things he did on the pitch Max. But it was what he did with that afterwards. He said, you know, I never understood why God gifted me with this ability? But that's what keeps me humble and allows me then to want to give back.

And he went on to become a UN Ambassador in Ecology and Environment at the UNESCO Children's Fund. He was always looking to make this world a bit of a better place. And that's why you see these dignitaries and so many people beyond the sports world, celebrating this man's life 82 years, the things that he accomplished, you cannot quantify.

So he is certainly an inspiration around the world. Specifically to Brazilians because he represented all that they could be, all that they might be someday, if only they work hard and live that life of gratitude, as Pele did and inspired so many along the way, Max.

FOSTER: I know you guys hate being asked this question. But you know that debate about who the greatest footballer was? I was speaking to an expert earlier on who worked with Pele and argues he is the greatest footballer because of the conditions he worked with. You know, the pitchers were often you know, un-level and the boots and the technology wasn't nearly as good or the training so therefore, that does qualify him to be the best player ever.

WATSON: Yes. The more I read up and just learned about his life Max, you know, to me, it's the character of the person within not only does he have those three World Cups, which no other player has done on the pitch.

It was, you know, the things he went through, as you mentioned in 1958, when he became the youngest player ever to play in a World Cup Final against Sweden, he was 17-years-old. Leading up to that there were people are walking up to him and rubbing his arm to see if they couldn't understand why his skin was dark.

They'd never seen a black person before. So you think about some of the things that he had to overcome off the pitch that could have affected him on but he did not allow it to. He went on to be a legend and create a legendary life.

FOSTER: Coy Wire in Atlanta, thank you for looking back on Pele's incredible life today. A rare event on Sunday meanwhile ITV network is airing an exclusive interview with Prince Harry the Duke of Sussex. It comes two days before Harry's Autobiography Spare is published. Harry will speak on a range of topics from his personal relationships so never before heard details around the death of his mother Diana. It is an exclusive because CNN's Anson Cooper also interviewed Prince Harry that interview will air on "60 Minutes" on CBS. Here's a quick preview of that one.

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ANSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): One of the criticisms that you've received is that well OK fine you want to move to California.

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COOPER (on camera): You want to step back from the institutional role. Why be so public? You say you tried to do this privately?

PRINCE HARRY, DUKE OF SUSSEX: And every single time I've tried to do it privately. There have been briefings and leakages and planting of stories against me and my wife. You know, the family motto is never complain, never explain, but it's just a motto. And it doesn't really hold.

COOPER (on camera): A lot of complaining and a lot of explaining - private being done in through leaks?

HARRY: through leaks. They will feed or have a conversation with the correspondent. And that correspondent will literally be spoon fed information and write the story. And then the bottom of it they will say that they've reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment.

But the whole story is Buckingham Palace, commenting. So when we're being told for the last six years, we can't put a statement out to protect you, but you do it for other members of the family that becomes a point when silence is betrayal.

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FOSTER: It will be Prince Harry's first U.S. TV network interview to discuss his memoir. Thanks for joining me here on CNN's Newsroom. I'm Max Foster in London. "First Move" with Julia Chatterley is up next.

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