Madeiran president Miguel Albuquerque is incensed by news that the island’s decision to rename its airport after football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is to be vetted by State airports authority Aeroportos de Portugal.
Paulo Marques, the minister of infrastructure and planning has “called (the plan) into question”, says Público, as he is concerned that Madeira may not have the legal right to make this kind of change to the name of national airport.
Citing “a lack of education” and ministerial “inelegance”, Albuquerque sounded off during a ceremony celebrating the 104th anniversary of the archipelago’s forestry police: “The airport is the property of the Autonomous Region of Madeira”, he told his audience. The decision to change its name “was deliberated by the regional government as a way of commemorating a great Madeiran, a great athlete and the captain of the Portuguese national football team”.
“This is all that we needed”, he added hotly. “We pay for the airport… and I have to ask permission to whom?!”
Neither Público nor other news source has elaborated on the rest of the discourse, other than to say that Albuquerque is not for turning:
The region will be making its “just homage” to Cristiano Ronaldo on March 29” – the day after the national team plays Sweden on the island in preparation for the 2018 World Cup – and anything Aeroportos de Portugal might have to pontificate on the matter had best be mumbled into a cocked hat.
