The Brazilian football legend, who won the World Cup three times and scored over 1,000 goals throughout his career, passed away last Thursday, at the age of 82.
Infantino announced FIFA’s request while in Brazil for Pelé’s funeral and stated that the request will be made to every country in the world.
Meanwhile, in Brazil, Pelé’s coffin was placed inside the Vila Belmiro stadium of Santos, the home ground of the club where he spent most of his career, on Monday.
THEWILL recalls that in April 2021, plans to name the famous Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro after Pelé was abandoned after being vetoed by the State Governor. However, at the death of his rival in football iconoclasm, Diego Maradona, in a swift and fast-tracked process, the Naples Town Hall renamed the Napoli’s stadium in honour of the Argentine star, who led the Italian club to two league titles.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
