Fifa has announced that it will ask every country in the world to rename one of their football stadiums in honor of Pele, the legendary Brazilian soccer player who passed away on December 29th at the age of 82.
The organization’s president, Gianni Infantino, made the announcement while attending Pele’s funeral in Sao Paulo, saying, “We’re going to ask every country in the world to name one of their football stadiums with the name of Pele.”
In April 2021, the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro was set to be renamed in honor of Pele, but the plan was ultimately vetoed by the state governor.
Pele’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.
In a statement following Pele’s death, Infantino described the soccer great as an “exemplary sportsman” with a “magnetic presence” and a legacy that “is impossible to summarise in words.”
