CAPE Verde has become the first nation to name a stadium after Pele, following the suggestion made by FIFA on Monday during the funeral wake of the departed football legend.
The nation’s Prime Minister, Dr. Ulisses Correira e Silva has on Wednesday announced that the country’s national stadium in Praia will be named after world football icon Pele.
In a statement published on social media Facebook, Cape Verde’s premier stressed that the decision is a spinoff of the historical ties that his country shares with Brazil.
“Cape Verde and Brazil have a history and culture that go hand in hand, considering they are two sister countries, linked by language and very similar identities.” the statement read.
“And with the physical disappearance of Edson Arantes de Nascimento, King Pelé, born a Brazilian citizen, who soon became a planetary figure, an icon of the masses showing that sport has the power to unite the world, it is now our wish to pay tribute to him.
“Pelé was and always will be a reference in Brazil, in our Portuguese-speaking countries and the rest of the world, being an idol that links several generations.
“As a tribute and recognition to this figure that makes us all great, I manifest the intention of naming our national stadium as “Pelé Stadium”, in an initiative that, I believe, will be followed by several countries around the world.”
The 15,000-seater “Estadio Nacional de Cabo Verde”, erected in 2010 and opened in 2014 have been the home base of the “Blue Sharks” as Cape Verde’s national team is referred to.
FIFA’s president Gianni Infantino on Monday urged member associations to rename a football facility in their respective countries after Pele who to date is the only player to have won three world cups.
The world’s football governing body has also renamed the football pitch in its headquarters “Estadio Pele- FIFA Zurich”.