Pele not in hospital, spokesperson says

Brazilian football legend Pele is resting at home, his spokesperson has said, denying claims that the football legend was hospitalised for exhaustion after he collapsed at an event in his home country of Brazil early on Thursday morning.

Dismissing the reports as "fake news", the spokesperson said that Pele had not been suffering from exhaustion.

Earlier, it had been reported in the media that the ex-Santos star has undergone a series of tests, which pointed to severe exhaustion. The reports had added that although the 77 year-old footballer remained on fluids while doctors monitored his recovery, there was no suggestion of anything more serious than exhaustion being the cause of the incident.

Pele is the only football player ever to win three World Cups. He has suffered a number of health problems in recent years, undergoing hip surgery and being hospitalised for kidney and prostate problems.

He was slated to appear at an English Football Writers' Association dinner in London on Sunday, but pulled out of the event, with the FWA citing exhaustion as the cause.