World Football governing body (FIFA) president Gianni Infantino has said that his office will ask every country in the world to name a stadium in honour of Brazil and world’s football great Pelé. Infantino made the remarks during Pelé’s funeral held in Sao Paulo Monday January 2. The legendary Brazilian football player, who rose from barefoot poverty to become one of the greatest and best-known athletes in modern history, died at Sao Paulo’s Albert Einstein hospital Thursday, December 29, aged 82 after a battle with cancer. “We’re going to ask every country in the world to name one of their football stadiums with the name of Pelé,” Infantino said. In April 2021 Rio de Janeiro abandoned plans to name the famous Maracana Stadium after Pelé after it was vetoed by the state governor. Pelé’s coffin was placed inside the Vila Belmiro stadium in Santos on Monday, the home ground of the club where he spent virtually his entire career. Infantino released a statement on the day of Pelé’s death which began, “For everyone who loves the beautiful game, this is the day we never wanted to come. The day we lost Pelé.” He described Pele as an “exemplary sportsman” and added: “Pelé had a magnetic presence and, when you were with him, the rest of the world stopped. His life is about more than football. He changed perceptions for the better in Brazil, in South America and across the world. His legacy is impossible to summarize in words.
