Featured image credit: Agência Brasil/CC BY 3.0 BR/Edited for size
A stadium in Bafatá, Guinea-Bissau will become the latest football venue to be renamed in honour of Pelé, Brazil’s legendary three-time World Cup winner who died last month.
The decision has been taken by Guinea-Bissau’s Council of Ministers and comes after FIFA president Gianni Infantino suggested that each member association name a stadium or football venue after Pelé.
Since Infantino’s comments, plans have been announced to rename stadiums in Cape Verde and Colombia after Pelé, and Guinea-Bissau will now become the latest country to honour the Brazilian.
The Bafatá stadium is home to Sporting Clube do Bafatá, which plays in Guinea-Bissau’s top-tier football league. The stadium has a capacity of around 15,000.
Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embaló said: “As an expression of the public recognition of his status as the king of world football, the Council of Ministers has decided that the regional stadium of Bafatá will be given the name Rei Pelé in response to the appeal from the FIFA president.”
Infantino added: “My deepest gratitude goes to President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, the government of Guinea-Bissau and the Bissau-Guinean Football Federation for honouring the memory of the eternal king by renaming the Estádio da Rocha in Bafatá as the Pelé Stadium.”
Infantino made his suggestion while attending a memorial for Pelé in Santos ahead of the Brazilian’s funeral. The FIFA president said the move would ensure that future generations around the world know about Pelé and his impact on football.
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