Tottenham Hotspur has "opened talks with the Qatar Investment Authority" over a naming-rights deal for the redeveloped White Hart Lane, according to Erik Eriksson of the LONDON TIMES. The club’s success in selling more than 80,000 tickets for its first Champions League game at Wembley against Monaco on Wednesday has strengthened its "conviction about the size" of its domestic fanbase, which the club will "use to secure a globally renowned partner for the new stadium," which is due to open at the start of the '18-19 season. Negotiations with Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund are "believed to have intensified after Tottenham learnt that the emirate’s association with Barcelona is likely to end next summer." Given that the club has a "large number of Jewish supporters, the talks may attract controversy." Qatar Airways signed a one-year extension worth £29M ($38M) to its shirt-sponsorship deal with Barcelona this summer, but the "six-year partnership seems set to end next year." Tottenham has "attempted to capitalise on the situation" by pitching itself to Qatar. QIA is one of 300 companies, institutions and investment vehicles that Tottenham has "approached about sponsoring" its new stadium. The club is "believed to have offered a ten-year package" valued at £150M ($198M) to potential partners. The club had hoped to secure £25M ($33M) a year from a naming-rights deal for its new 61,000-seat stadium but has "downgraded expectations" to about £15M ($20M) annually in what is proving to be a "challenging market" (LONDON TIMES, 9/14).
