Cape Verde’s national stadium will be renamed in honor of Pelé, the country’s prime minister has announced.
The 15,000-seat Estadio Nacional de Cabo Verde, located just outside the capital Praia, will become the Pelé Stadium.
The news comes after Fifa President Gianna Infantino proposed – during a speech at Pele’s memorial service in Brazil – that each country name a stadium after the footballing legend. died on December 2982 years old.
“In homage and recognition to this figure who makes us all great, I intend to name our national stadium ‘Stade Pelé’, in an initiative which I believe will be followed by several countries around the world”, said said Ulisses. Correira and Silva writes on facebook.
“With the physical demise of Edson Arantes de Nascimento, King Pelé, who has quickly become a planetary figure, an icon for the masses showing that sport has the power to unite the world, it is now our wish to give him back tribute,” Silva added in a statement that highlighted Pelé’s importance to Portuguese-speaking countries like Cape Verde.
“Cape Verde and Brazil have a history and culture that go hand in hand, given that they are two brotherly countries, linked by language and very similar identities.
“Pelé was and will always be a reference in Brazil, in our Portuguese-speaking countries and in the rest of the world, being an idol that connects several generations.”
Pelé is credited with scoring a world record 1,281 goals in 1,363 appearances during a 21-year career, including 77 goals in 92 appearances for his country, and was named Fifa’s Player of the Century in 2000.
On Monday Pelé memorial in Santosthe city where he played club football, Infantino said Fifa would ask “every country in the world to name one of their football stadiums with the name of Pelé”.
However, South African Football Association chairman Danny Jordaan has since raised concerns that this could lead to potential issues with stadium naming rights.
