Soccer great Pelé urges Putin to stop war in Ukraine

By MAURICIO SAVARESE
AP Sports Writer

SAO PAULO (AP) — Pelé has published a letter urging Vladimir Putin to stop the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The 81-year-old Brazilian soccer great says he chose to publish his message to the Russian president on the same day Ukraine’s national team beat Scotland 3-1 in a playoff that took it one step closer to qualifying for the World Cup. The Ukraine team will face Wales on Sunday for a spot in Qatar. The three-time World Cup winner says Putin has the power to stop the conflict in his hands — “the same ones I shook in Moscow at our last meeting in 2017.”