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

Nadia Mohammed-First Somali-American Elected Mayor

Two months after making history as America's first Somali-American elected mayor by voters, 27-year-old Nadia Mohamed is sworn in as mayor. Nadia Mohammed  She was sworn in at the city council of St. Louis Park in the US state of Minnesota. Ms Mohamed secured 58% of the vote to win last November's mayoral poll. Nadia Mohammed is the youngest and the first Muslim and black elected mayor in the city, whose family moved to Minnesota from Kenya's Kakuma refugee camp when she was 10, after fleeing war in Somalia. Her family migrated to Kenya after the civil war in Somalia, and she lived in the Kakuma refugee camp until she was about 10. "Well, my identity is one part of my story, right? I am proud of everything that I am, but I don't want that to be the only story. I don't want that to [be] where people stop their conversation," Ms Mohamed told Minneapolis-based KARE TV station after her election. She has listed public safety and affordable housing as some of t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Philip Shaibu Pleads For Forgiveness - Forgive, Says The Deputy Governor of Edo State, To His Governor

Thursday in Benin City, Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu appealed to Governor Obaseki to forgive and forget their differences.        Governor Godwin Obaseki and His Deputy Philip Shaibu  An embattled  Shaibu, begged his principal, Governor Godwin Obakeki, for forgiveness over their political differences. While addressing journalists he said: "I use this medium to appeal to Mr Governor, if there is anything that I don’t know that I have done, please forgive me so that we can develop our state together,” he said. "We have just one year to go. We have been the envy of the entire country. So Mr Governor, if there is anything you feel that I have done, please I am sorry. I need us to work together to finish well and strong.” On whether he had resumed at his new office, the Deputy Governor replied; “We have resumed but there is still a lot of work to be done there. “There is no problem about it. The governor has asked us to go there. Like I have alway...
Post a Comment
Read more

In The Spotlight

Nollywood superstar actress Genevieve Nnaji shares a no make up picture of herself on her Instagram page.  This picture here, can fit perfectly for a remix album cover of the song "Isn't She Lovely" by Stevie Wonder. Lovely pic! 'Beautiful, Ms Jenny.' Genevieve Nnaji, born on 3 May 1979, is a Nigerian actress, producer, and director. She won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in 2005, making her the first actor to win the award. In 2011, she was honoured as a Member of the Order of the Federal Republic by the Nigerian Government for her contributions to Nollywood. Credit: Instagram, Wikipedia.
1 comment
Read more