Soccer media around the world lit up with reports this morning that Brazilian legend Pele had been admitted to a hospital in Sao Paolo. Initial reports were not good, with some suggesting that the condition of the 74-year old, who had been battling kidney stones recently, had worsened significantly.

Thankfully, the initial reports appear to have been misunderstandings because of a language issue. Several other sources, including the ghostwriter of Pele’s biography Alex Bellos, have since gone on the record to say that Pele has only been transferred into a “special care unit” (not “intensive care”).

BBC, to their credit, has been one of the few western media outlets that did not jump on the “intensive care” narrative:

Conflicting reports are still emerging, with some outlets still reporting that Pele has been admitted to the ICU, while other sources are citing Brazilian media, who are far less alarmed about the condition of their national treasure.

UPDATE:

Thursday, 9:00 pm ET: The Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paolo released a statement this evening that Pele was in fact in the intensive care unit to receive renal support treatment, and was improving. His twitter account also sent out the following:

UPDATE #2:

Per CBS News, Pele is lucid and breathing on his own while receiving hemodialysis treatement. His manager Paul Kemsley is quoted as saying he expects a  full recovery from this minor infection, and personal assistant Jose Fornous Rodrigues expects a return home in a couple of days.

(Featured image: AFP Photo/Yasuyoshi Chiba)