"If a stadium is named after Pele, why not Maradona?": India legend Syed Rahim Nabi

FIFA president Gianni Infantino recently said that the footballing apex body will request every country in the world to name a stadium after Pele, who passed away recently.

The global football legend died at the age of 82 and Infantino says a stadium named after Pele will be a perfect tribute to him.

Pele was undoubtedly a global icon and arguably one of the greatest footballers ever. But naming a stadium after him in each country? That looked a bit exaggerated to us.

And former India footballer Syed Rahim Nabi has given his say on the conundrum. In a chat with MyKhel, he questioned if FIFA is planning to ask countries to name a stadium after Pele, they could have done the same for Argentina legend Diego Maradona, who passed away in 2020.

"If there's a stadium after Pele, why not Maradona? Pele is obviously a legend, we grew up listening to his name and watching Maradona. But it will be great if FIFA names stadiums for both the legends," Nabi said when asked.

"People who are a bit senior to us, they love Pele. I think this looks like a personal opinion of the FIFA president. And I don't think you can pressurize a country to name a stadium after Pele, you can request only. I didn't see Pele as a player, but when it comes to football, Pele and Maradona both are legends," the India legend added.

There have been opinions on social media by a set of netizens that Yuva Bharati Krirangan or Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata may well be renamed after Pele. But Nabi quickly dismissed that theory.

"This is impossible. I won't be able to digest this. We grew up here and the name Yuva Bharati is entangled with our lives, this can't happen," Nabi concluded.

AT Mohun Bagan and East Bengal are the two Bengal-based clubs that are playing in the ISL. And Nabi believes both clubs can qualify for the play-offs.

"I can say this much ATK Mohun Bagan will need a replacement for Joni Kauko. They are missing goals and FC Goa were causing problems for them in the last match. But in terms of the quality of players, Mohun Bagan are miles ahead of East Bengal," Nabi added.

"But East Bengal are a fighter club. The way they beat Bengaluru last match, you can't count East Bengal out. And I am hopeful both teams will qualify for the playoffs," he concluded.