By João Marcelo
SAU PAOLO – On Tuesday, the 9th, the Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro (Alerj) voted on an urgent basis to change the name of the Maracanã Stadium. Currently the football stadium takes its name from the journalist Mário Filho and would be renamed Edson Arantes do Nascimento – Rei Pelé. Now, the text goes to the sanction of the acting governor Cláudio Castro. Also known as the “creator of the crowds”, Mário Leite Rodrigues Filhos was the great creator of football in Rio de Janeiro at the beginning of the 20th century and encouraged the creation of the largest stadium in the world at the time. He was an icon for the sports press, making history by popularizing football in Rio de Janeiro.
If sanctioned, the case may be subject to legal embargoes. This is because Federal Law 6,454 / 1977 prohibits the practice of naming public goods with the names of living people. In an interview with UOL portal, lawyer Maurício Corrêa da Veiga, a specialist in sports law, says. “The law prohibits ‘naming’ public goods belonging to the Union with the names of living people. The governor can still veto the text. However, if this does not occur, it is possible to file a Popular Action, which is a measure aimed at any citizen who wishes to question judicially the validity of acts that it considers harmful to the public patrimony, to administrative morality or to the historical and cultural patrimony ”.
The author of the project is deputy André Ceciliano (Partido dos Trabalhadores) and six more deputies: Bebeto (Pode), Marcio Pacheco (Christian Social Party), Eurico Junior (Green Party), Carlos Minc (Brazilian Socialist Party), Colonel Salema ( Social Democratic Party) and Alexandre Knoploch (Social Liberal Party). The 3,489 / 21 project maintains the name Mário Filho attributed to the sports complex, which has the Maracanãzinho gymnasium and the Célio de Barros athletics stadium. Deputy André Ceciliano argues. “The use of the names of living people in goods belonging to public assets has been a concern of society to watch over what belongs to everyone and prevent the privatization of public assets.