Napoli Pay Respect to Maradona, to Name Stadium after Him

The mayor of Naples started Thursday a formal process to rename the San Paolo stadium in memory of Diego Maradona who died Wednesday aged 60.

"We are already putting it together this morning, taking the first steps to dedicate Naples' stadium to Maradona," Mayor Luigi De Magistris said.

"It's a process but it will be a quick process, because when there is such a strong desire there's nothing that will hold us up" he added.

Earlier, S.S.C. Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis told French sports channel RMC Sport: "We can consider the idea of calling our stadium San Paolo-Diego Armando Maradona,"

Although gatherings in the city have been banned, fans stood outside the stadium from late Wednesday to Thursday morning, waving banners, singing songs and lighting torches in memory of Maradona.

Perceived as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Maradona had a strong bond with the Italian club and its supporters during his seven-year spell between 1984 and 1991.

The legend joined Napoli from Barcelona and won their only two Serie A titles - in 1987 and 1990 - along with the Coppa Italia and UEFA Cup.