JAKARTA - Rio de Janeiro's state legislature has backed away from plans to rename Brazil's iconic maracana stadium to the name of soccer legend Pele, after the proposal sparked controversy.
In an unusual move, legislative spokesman Andre Ceciliano, who supports the stadium renaming bill, asked interim governor Claudio Castro to veto, not sign the proposal.
After lawmakers, on March 9, voted to change the stadium's official name to "Edson Arantes do Nascimento - Rei Pele" in honor of the three-time world champion, critics sprung up questioning why parliament was spending time on such issues amid the health crisis in Brazil, which was badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"My intention is to pay homage to the king of football, the best player of all time. But the Maracana will always be called the Maracana," Ceciliano said, quoted by AFP on Wednesday.
The stadium's current official name, "Jornalista Mario Filho," is a Brazilian sports journalist and writer whose name has been credited with helping the development of football in the country to this day.
The bill, which includes renaming the stadium, retains Filho's name for the sports complex around the stadium, which also includes gymnastics and athletic venues.
However, Filho's family and fans rejected the change.
The Maracana, an unofficial name taken from the name of the area around the stadium, has been the site of historic matches, including the 1950 and 2014 World Cup finals, as well as the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2016 Olympics.
Maracana Stadium is the home stadium for two local football clubs, Fluminense and defending champion Flamengo.
However, the history of the giant 78,000-seat stadium is also fraught with trauma for Brazilians.
The stadium opened in 1950 for the World Cup, hosting Brazil's crushing 1-2 loss to Uruguay in the final -- an event still sadly remembered as the "Maracanaco," which translates as "Maracana's deadly blow."
Pele was credited with restoring the pride of Brazilian football after the event.
Nowadays, Pele (80) rarely appears in public. He was not involved in the insistence on renaming the stadium.
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