International Association Football Federation, FIFA, President, Gianni Infantino, has proposed an idea on how fans can honor football legend Pele forever, by naming a soccer stadium in every country after the icon.
Soccer fans from every corner of the globe are paying their respects before soccer legend Pele is laid to rest on Tuesday, 3rd January, 2023.
“We are going to ask every country in the world to name one of their football stadiums with the name of Pelé,” Infantino FIFA president told reporters in Sao Paulo on Monday, via CBS sport “I am here with a lot of emotion, sadness, but also with a smile because he gave us so many smiles. As FIFA, we will pay a tribute to the ‘King’ and we ask the whole world to observe a minute of silence” .
CBS Sports notes that Rio de Janeiro had originally planned to rename Maracana Stadium in Brazil after Pele, but the Brazilian government scrapped the idea in 2021.
Pele passed away on 29th December, 2022, at the age of 82 after a long battle with cancer. He had posted to Social media at the beginning of December that he was watching the World Cup from the hospital bed and, of course, rooting for Brazil.
Pele won three World Cups with his native country as well as set multiple records, including being the joint top goal-scorer for Brazil with 77 goals in 92 games. He is the only player in history to win three World Cups.
Story: Ralia Adama