FIFA President Gianni Infantino has asked each country to name one stadium after Pele in a tribute to the Brazil great.
Pele, the only man to win the World Cup three times as a player, passed away last week aged 82.
Brazil entered a national period of mourning after Pele’s death.
Pele’s coffin was placed in the centre circle at Urbano Caldeira Stadium in Sao Paulo, the home of his former club Santos, and FIFA president Infantino was in attendance on Monday, January 2, 2023.
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“We are going to ask that all countries in the world have at least one stadium with the name of Pele,” Infantino told reporters in Brazil.
“This will be so that children know Pele’s importance to the game of football.”
Naming a sporting venue after a former player is not an uncommon occurrence, with such examples as Hungary’s Puskas Arena and the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam.
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However, it is more unusual for a venue to be named for a player outside their native country, though again not implausible.
Serie A side Napoli renamed their home ground the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in memory of the Argentina great following his death in 2020.
South Korea’s Gwangju World Cup Stadium meanwhile was named after Dutchman Guus Hiddink, who took the nation to a fourth-place finish at the 2004 World Cup.
Pele, whose 77 goals for Brazil stands as a joint record, is set to be laid to rest on Tuesday, January 3, 2023.
