Coca-Cola could put its name on Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu stadium, according to MUNDO DEPORTIVO. Sports marketing agency Euromericas said that Coca-Cola is "willing to offer" €80M ($108.8M) per year to Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez to finance "the remodeling of the stadium in exchange for having the beverage company's name on the stadium." The estimated cost to remodel the Bernabéu is around €450M ($612M). Pérez has "reportedly been negotiating with Microsoft about a possible naming rights deal" -- though Microsoft "later denied reports of those negotiations." However, "a delay in sealing an agreement with Microsoft made many think that there was a possible block in those negotiations." Selling "naming rights for a stadium to a multinational company has become habitual in recent years." EPL side Arsenal "did so with its stadium (Emirates), as did Bayern Munich (Allianz Arena), among others" (MUNDO DEPORTIVO, 1/16). MARKETING DIRECTO reported Coca-Cola is a "huge advertiser in the world of sports." In "recent months, a lot has been said about the possibility of the Bernabéu being sponsored by Microsoft, but it seems that Coca-Cola's offer is economically superior to the proposed sponsorships that have been considered until now" (MARKETING DIRECTO, 1/16).
