An argument over the statue of Cristiano Ronaldo in Goa, India | Football Stories

Residents oppose the Portuguese footballer, who once ruled Goa, to be honored on behalf of the Indian player.

A new sculpture of a professional football player Cristiano Ronaldo has sparked controversy in the Indian state of Goa, with locals protesting the need for a Portuguese player to be treated with respect rather than with one from India.

Goa government minister Michael Lobo on Wednesday wrote on Twitter that the statue aims to promote football as a sport and to encourage young people to play the sport.

“People talk about football when they talk about Cristiano Ronaldo. So we put a statue here so that boys and girls at a very young age can be encouraged, feel motivated and the love and passion for the sport will grow, “he said.

Thanks to the love of football and the request of our youth we have put up a statue of Cristiano Ronaldo in this park to inspire our youth to take up the best football. It was an opportunity to open up the decoration of open spaces, landscaping, a garden with a foundation & a walkway. pic.twitter.com/VU5uvlSlMT

– Michael Lobo (@ MichaelLobo76) December 28, 2021

Instead, a day after the unveiling of the 400kg (882-pounds) statue in Goa’s capital city of Panaji, protesters holding black flags gathered at the venue to protest, according to India’s IANS news agency on Wednesday.

It was not that the opponents were outraged by the decision to honor the foreign player, but that the decision was a player from Portugal was seen as disgusting, because it was a European country. analowa Goa as a colony for centuries, only to leave 60 years ago.

The “No Thanks to the Image of Christiano Ronaldo in Calangute” by Goa for Goans. pic.twitter.com/XtB5MoBWOL

– SagarVarta (agarSagarVarta) December 28, 2021

Lobo told IANS opponents to “hate” the ball.

Although cricket is still the most popular sport in India, football is popular in places like Goa.

Although with a population of over 1.3 billion, India was worse off in football than other smaller countries, Lobo told India’s Indian news agency ANI.