A statue of Cristiano Ronaldo caused an uproar in the state of Goa in southern India. Residents accuse authorities of insensitivity for honoring a sports star from the former colonial power.
Several protesters with black flags gathered at the scene after the statue was unveiled this week in the city of Calangute.
Protesters expressed their anger that authorities ignored India’s sports stars and selected a player from Portugal, the country from which Goa became independent in 1961.
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Micky Fernandes, a former international player originally from the state, said that this choice was “painful” and that it has been seen as a “hangover” from Portuguese rule.
“Ronaldo is the best player in the world, but we should still have the statue of a player from Goa,” Fernandes told AFP.
Most of present-day India gained independence in 1947. On the other hand, Goa, after an armed conflict with Portuguese colonial power, became an autonomous territory administered by the Indian federal government in 1961, and was admitted as a full state of India. India in 1987.
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