About a year after the death of Edson Arantes do Nascimento, Pelé, a legal dispute over the football king’s inheritance pits the widow of the former player, Márcia Aoki, against José Fornos, Pepito, who served for about 50 years as his advisor and businessman.
By Pelé’s decision, Fornos is the executor of the estate. In June 2023, he requested from the São Paulo court a 5% share of the inheritance for his role.
The widow’s defense questions the request, arguing that Pepito did not take any necessary measures.
“The executor’s role is primarily to act in defense of the will when there is any kind of dispute among the beneficiaries. But neither party contested the will,” says Luiz Kignel, the lawyer representing Pelé’s widow.
Fornos’s lawyer argues that the 5% claim should be accepted as it is a “very complex estate, with many rights to be shared.
