Skip to main content

Cristiano Ronaldo-Divided Opinion Over Statue In India

Cristiano Ronaldo statue divides opinion in India.

A newly unveiled statue of Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo is dividing opinion in India.

Placed in the western Goa state, where football is hugely popular, officials hope it will inspire young people.

But Goa is also a former Portuguese colony, and it is 60 years since the state was freed from Portugal.

Critics say local football players should have been honoured, especially since several past and present members of India's national team are Goan.

Very disappointed to hear of the statue of Ronaldo being erected. Learn to take pride in our own icons like Samir Naik and Bruno Coutinho," a local Goan told the IANS news agency.

During the statue's inauguration, some people waved black flags in protest, the Times of India newspaper reported.

Portugal's football team is popular in Goa, and due to its colonial past, many locals have lived in Portugal or have family there.

But some people in the Indian state feel it is insulting to install the statue during the 60th anniversary celebrations of Goa finally winning freedom from Portuguese rule, which happened 14 years after the rest of India became independent from British rule.

"To erect a statue of a Portuguese footballer this year is sacrilegious. We condemn this," IANS quoted right-wing activist Guru Shirodkar as saying.

"There are many freedom fighters in Goa who have been insulted," he added.

Michael Lobo, a local lawmaker in the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), tweeted a photo of himself with the statue, saying that it had been installed "at the request of our youth" to inspire them "to take football to greater heights".

Although cricket remains India's most popular sport, football - especially the English Premier League - is a favourite in certain pockets of the country - Kerala in the south, Goa in the west, West Bengal in the east and all of the eight north-eastern states.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who currently plays for Manchester United, is adored by many fans and widely regarded as one of the best players in the history of the game.

The 36-year-old forward has not commented publicly on the statue.

This is not the first time a statue of him has raised eyebrows - in 2017 a bust of Ronaldo was widely mocked and eventually replaced in Madeira airport in Portugal.

Culled: BBC NEWS 


Comments

  1. Hermosa29 December 2021 at 23:56

    Cricket has always been India's most popular sport. They should have erected a well known cricket player instead of Ronaldo 😂😂 Abeg they should remove it 😂😂. I support them biko 😂😂

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Type your comments here

Popular posts from this blog

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Wins Big In Governor Nyesom Wike's Local Government Area

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, has won the Obio-Akpor, the Local Government Area of Governor Nyesom Wike in Rivers State by a landslide. Tinubu polled 80,239 votes to defeat the Candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, who came a distant second with 3,829 and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who got 368 votes.
Post a Comment
Read more

N1.15bn Vehicles Purchase For Niger Republic-The Federal Government Gives Reasons

The Federal Government, on Wednesday, defends the disbursement of N1.15bn for the purchase of 10 SUVs for the Republic of Niger, saying that the move is to enable the country to safeguard its territory in the best interest of Nigeria’s security. The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, said it was not the first time Nigeria is supporting her neighbours. She asserted that the President had a responsibility to make such decisions “in the best interests of the country.” She said this while answering questions from State House Correspondents after the Federal Executive Council meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari. According to the Minister;  “Let me just say that, over time, Nigeria has had to support its neighbours, especially immediate neighbours, to enhance their capacity to secure their countries as it relates to us. “This is not the first time that Nigeria has supported Niger, Cameroon or Chad, and the President makes an assessment as to what i...
3 comments
Read more

Hushpuppi Gets 11-Year Jail Term

Ramon Abbas popularly referred to as  ‘HUSHPUPPI,' has been sentenced to 11 years in prison in the United States. The instagram 'big boy,' will however, spend nine years in prison because he had spent two years already in the US following his arrest in Dubai in 2020. In June 2020, Hushpuppi was arrested in Dubai over an extensive fraud scheme that has robbed victims of their money in the U.S, Qatar, the United Kingdom, and other places. In a final appeal to judge Otis Wright ahead of his scheduled sentencing on September 19, Hushpuppi wrote a personal letter to the court narrating his source of wealth, criminal adventure and regrets. Abbas, apologised to his family members for bringing them shame while commending the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for doing a thorough job in bringing him to justice.
Post a Comment
Read more