FIFA president Gianni Infantino faced backlash after revealing plans to have every country name a stadium after Pele (Edson Arantes do Nascimento).
Infantino noted that he would request the different countries to do so in honour of the late football legend, with some mixed reactions from netizens across the globe.
“What about Kenya, where we do not have stadiums and if there are any they do not even meet CAF standards,” a user stated.
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Another user noted that the world football governing body should build new stadiums in every country and name them after Pele.
A user from Ghana questioned the move adding that Ghana does not have available stadiums to do so.
The FIFA president's statement did go well with one Zimbabwean fan who noted that each country has its own heroes to remember.
“Each nation has its own hero! In Zimbabwe, we have our ‘Moses Razorman Chunga, who played for Eendracht Aalst in Belgium in the late ’80s!
“He did not win a World Cup Trophy but he brought joy, and still helps to develop the game in Zimbabwe! Yet his name is nowhere near our own stadiums!” the Zimbabwean tweeted.
Pele died on December 29, 2022, aged 82, after a battle with colon cancer since September 2021.
The Brazilian will be buried on Tuesday, January 3, on the ninth floor of a cemetery in Santos, Brazil.
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