The National Sports Authority (NSA) says it is open to naming a stadium in Ghana in honour of Brazilian legend Pele.
This was confirmed by Professor Peter Twumasi, Director-General of the NSA, who stated that the authority is willing to make it happen.
The head of the world football governing body, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, has hinted that member associations will be asked to name a stadium in honour of Pele, who died after a battle with illness.
Shortly after the news went viral, two countries, Cape Verde and Guinea, all in Africa, named their national stadiums after Pele, following a request by the FIFA President.
Ghana’s National Sports Authority boss, Professor Twumasi, has acted on the statement of Gianni Infantino, in which he said, “For everyone who loves the beautiful game, this is the day we never wanted to come. The day we lose Pele, we’re going to ask every country in the world to name one of their football stadiums after Pele.”
The National Sports Authority (NSA) has made it possible for a stadium in Ghana to be renamed after Pele, who once visited the country of West Africa during his playing career.
The boss of the National Sports Authority (NSA) expressed in an interview with Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the naming of a stadium by Pele will follow the procedure that was used to name the Kumasi Sports Stadium and now the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in previous years.
Professor Peter Twumasi told GNA, “The call by Infantino for nations to name a stadium in recognition of the football king, Pelé, is something many nations always do to honour their hero. For me, it is a good motivation for young players who aspire to reach the pinnacle of football and also serves as a magnet to unite people around the world. There are procedures to be followed in the renaming of the stadium, as we did with the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi, and we are willing to engage appropriate stakeholders to make this happen, especially given the vast number of unnamed new sporting facilities in the country.”
