Sport

Cape Verde National Stadium To Be Renamed In Honor Of Pele

Published

5 months ago

January 4, 2023

H B. Ray

Cape Verde’s national stadium is to be renamed after Pele, the country’s prime minister has said.

Fidel Info reports that the 15,000-seater Estadio Nacional de Cabo Verde, located just outside the capital Praia, will become the Pele Stadium.

The news comes after Fifa’s president Gianna Infantino proposed – while speaking at Pele’s memorial service in Brazil – that every country should name a stadium after the footballing legend.

“As a tribute and recognition to this figure that makes us all great, I manifest the intention of naming our national stadium as “Pele Stadium”, in an initiative that, I believe, will be followed by several countries around the world,” Ulisses Correira e Silva wrote on Facebook.

“With the physical disappearance of Edson Arantes de Nascimento, King Pele, who soon became a planetary figure, an icon of the masses showing that sport has the power to unite the world, it is now our wish to pay tribute to him,” added Mr Silva in a statement that stressed the importance of Pele to Portuguese-speaking countries like Cape Verde.

“Cape Verde and Brazil have a history and culture that go hand in hand, considering they are two sister countries, linked by language and very similar identities.

“Pele was and always will be a reference in Brazil, in our Portuguese-speaking countries and in the rest of the world, being an idol that links several generations.”

Pele is credited with scoring a world record 1,281 goals in 1,363 appearances during a 21-year career, including 77 goals in 92 matches for his country, and was named Fifa’s Player of the Century in 2000.

At Monday’s memorial to Pele in Santos, the city where he played club football, Infantino said that Fifa would be asking “every country in the world to name one of their football stadiums with the name of Pele”.

However, South Africa’s Football Association president Danny Jordaan has since raised concerns that this could cause potential issues with stadium naming rights.

Source: BBC

Football

Leicester, Leeds Relegated From Champions League

Published

1 day ago

May 28, 2023

H B. Ray

Everton prevailed in the battle for survival over Leicester and Leeds to remain in the Premier League.

Fidel Info reports that Leicester and Leeds will join already-relegated Southampton in the Championship after Everton’s 1-0 victory over Bournemouth forced their relegation.

Even though they defeated West Ham 2-1, Leicester—the Premier League champions just seven years ago—fell into the second division for the first time since 2014.

Leeds’ three-year stay in the top-flight ended with a 4-1 defeat against Tottenham.

Football

Done deal! Mauricio Pochettino signs Chelsea contract to succeed Frank Lampard as Blues boss

Published

1 day ago

May 28, 2023

Olayiwola Quadril

Mauricio Pochettino has reportedly signed the contract that will see him become Chelsea’s new manager in the 2023-24 campaign.

The Blues have worked their way through three managers this season, with Champions League winner Thomas Tuchel relieved of his duties in September 2022. Graham Potter then lasted just 31 games at the helm, with Frank Lampard returning to Stamford Bridge as interim boss.

Several candidates have been linked with the most prominent of Premier League posts since then, but The Telegraph reports that Pochettino has agreed to take the reins.

The former Southampton and Tottenham head coach has been out of work since leaving Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the 2021-22 season.

Pochettino boasts plenty of experience when it comes to the English top-flight, while he also guided Spurs to the Champions League final in 2019, but he will be inheriting a Chelsea squad that has underperformed badly this term. They are destined to finish in the bottom-half of the table despite investing around £600 million ($741m) across the last two transfer window

Lampard’s final game in charge of Chelsea will be against Newcastle on Sunday, with Argentine tactician Pochettino then set to pick up the managerial baton heading towards the summer transfer window and another rebuilding project.

Football

LaLiga: Lionel Messi to take over as Barcelona captain

Published

1 day ago

May 28, 2023

Olayiwola Quadril

Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi will reclaim the captaincy of Barcelona if he returns to the Catalan giants this summer.

Following the departure of Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and Gerard Pique from the club, Blaugrana squad members will once again cast their votes to select the captains of the first team next season.

The consensus within the Camp Nou inner sanctum is clear: the squad itself should elect its own captain, according to Sportskeeda.

Messi’s return is looming ever closer, and the Argentine striker, if he decides to return to Camp Nou, is seen as a highly probable contender for the captaincy.

The Barcelona hierarchy is reportedly prepared to do anything within their power to bring back the greatest player in the club’s illustrious history.

Messi is held in the highest esteem within the Barcelona dressing room, as his influence stretches beyond his former teammates, reaching the newer entrants as well.

Notably, Messi had previously donned the captain’s armband for Barca, succeeding Andres Iniesta in 2018