Pele pulls out of Cup draw

Pele will not take part in Friday’s World Cup draw although he will be in the audience, he said on Wednesday, adding he was worried about landing Brazil in a difficult group. “President Dilma (Rousseff) suggested that I represent Brazil when it came to pulling the balls out of the pots, which I’ve done several times before,” Brazilian media quoted the former him as saying. “I preferred to turn down the offer because I wouldn’t feel comfortable in picking out balls which are not favorable to Brazil.” Pele has earned a reputation in Brazil as a pe-frio, literally “cold foot”, although he gave a sarcastic response to a reporter who asked him about it.