Real Madrid is "close to signing the most spectacular economic agreement by a football club in history," according to J.L. Calderón of MARCA. The deal would see the club's stadium renamed the Abu Dhabi Santiago Bernabéu. Real Madrid "has an agreement" with investment firm Int'l Petroleum Investment Company, which is owned by the royal family of Abu Dhabi. The figures "are jaw-dropping:" from €450M ($577M) to €500M ($641M) over 20 years. Real has been "working on a deal that would include a name-change for their stadium for some time now, and it seems that a deal is close to being signed." The deal would "provide money to remodel the stadium, a project that has been planned extensively and is ready to be executed." The "only thing standing in the club's way is the Plataforma Civica de Vecinos de Bernabéu (Neighbors of the Bernabéu Civil Platform)" (
MARCA, 9/21).
FLY EMIRATES REPORTEDLY INVOLVED: In Madrid, Marco Ruiz reported Fly Emirates, which sponsors Real Madrid's shirts, "is on the point of reaching a deal" with the club to name the stadium, though "details of the length of the contract or the amounts involved are not yet available." Three names "are being looked at:" Fly Emirates Santiago Bernabéu, Fly Emirates Bernabéu or Bernabéu Fly Emirates. The club's members "will need to approve the change of name" (AS, 9/20).
NEGOTIATIONS ONGOING: The AFP reported Real Madrid is negotiating with 10 companies to "rename its stadium." Real presented in January a plan to "give its stadium a new roof and facade to include stores and restaurants in its interior to increase revenue." Real President Florentino Pérez said during an AGM, "We are looking for a sponsor. At the moment we are negotiating with 10 companies, to see if one is capable of adding its name to the Bernabéu." In recent months, "the names of Emirates airline and Audi have been mentioned in the Spanish press as potential sponsors of the new stadium." Pérez "has not confirmed these reports but defended the 'naming' principle for financing the remodeling, citing the examples of Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena and Arsenal's Emirates Stadium" (AFP, 9/21).
