Fifa wants all countries to rename a stadium in the name of the Brazilian legend – Liberation

Will PSG soon play its matches at King Pelé Park? Or will it be up to AS Monaco, which plays in stands where there are rarely more than three peeled and one shaved, to play its matches in an enclosure in the name of the Brazilian legend? This Monday, Gianni Infantino, the president of Fifa, announced that his organization would ask all its member countries to baptize a stadium in the name of Pelé.

The Swiss-Italian, known for his tactless outings and his cynicism, was present in Santos in Brazil for the funeral wake of Pelé, who died on December 29. Since mid-morning, thousands of people have been flocking to pay their last respects to Santos FC’s Vila Belmiro stadium, where the man considered by some to be the greatest footballer of all time spent most of his career. His coffin was installed in the center of the field. Around him, dozens of wreaths, sent by football personalities like Paris star SG Neymar or foreign clubs like Real Madrid were arranged.

Flags at half mast and minute of silence

“We are filled with sadness. Pelé is eternal, he is a world football iconGianni Infantino told reporters. We are going to ask all the countries in the world to name one of their stadiums in the name of Pelé. At the headquarters of Fifa in Geneva, the flags of all countries were lowered to half-mast on Friday, the day after the death of the triple world champion, who had been fighting for more than a year against colon cancer. A minute of silence in his memory was also observed on Sunday during the inauguration of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Brasilia.

The funeral vigil, which must last 24 hours, will end at 10 a.m. Tuesday morning (2 p.m. Paris time). A procession will then travel through the streets of Santos, before the burial, reserved for the family.