Following the request made by FIFA President Gianni Infantino for every nation to do so, Standard UK writes that Cape Verde has become the first nation to dedicate a stadium after Pele.
The African nation’s prime minister said that they would rename their national stadium, Estádio da Várzea, in honour of the legendary Brazilian athlete who passed away on December 29 at the age of 82.
Portuguese is a shared language between Brazil and Cape Verde, a collection of islands in the Atlantic Ocean to the west of the main African continent.
Brazilian and Cape Verdean history and culture, according to Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva, “go hand in hand, considering that they are two sister countries, linked by language and by extremely similar identities.”
“Pele was and will always be a reference in Brazil, in our Portuguese-speaking world and in the rest of the world, being an idol that connects several generations,” the Prime Minister added. ”As a tribute and recognition to this figure who makes us all great, I manifest the intention (of the Government) to name our national stadium as ‘Pele Stadium’ in an initiative to which, I believe, several countries around the world will accompany us.”
The official Cape Verde government website said that the executive had already notified FIFA of its intention to change the name of the stadium.
Infantino told reporters in Brazil on Monday: “We’re going to ask every country in the world to name one of their football stadiums with the name of Pele.”
Pele was laid to rest in Brazil on Tuesday after lying in state for 24 hours at the Vila Belmiro Stadium, the home of his former club Santos.
