RIO DE JANEIRO, March 1 (Xinhua) -- The son of soccer legend Pele will be allowed to appeal against a 13-year jail term as a free man, a Brazilian judge ruled on Wednesday.

Edson Cholbi Nascimento, known as Edinho, was originally given a 33-year prison sentence in 2014 for laundering money to a drug gang.

The 46-year-old was detained last week and ordered to begin serving a sentence that had been reduced to 12 years and 10 months.

But judge Antonio Saldanha ordered Edinho be released by Thursday evening, according to the former Santos goalkeeper's lawyers.

Pele is considered one of the greatest players of all time, scoring more than 1000 career goals and winning three World Cups.