The "iconic home" of Welsh rugby is to be "officially renamed as the National Stadium of Wales," according to Paul Abbandonato of WALES ONLINE. The makeover will see the Principality branding at the front of the ground "temporarily taken down" in the week commencing May 22 and put into storage until after the Champions League final between Juventus and Real Madrid. The "highly unusual move has been insisted upon by UEFA," which wanted a "clean stadium" with no commercial title as part of the deal to bring the "world's biggest club match" to Wales. A further 3,000 signs inside the ground, which promote the Welsh Rugby Union's commercial partners, are "also to be covered up until the glamour match is over on the night of June 3." It was initially thought the branding "would simply be covered up" as part of the UEFA request, but a decision has been made to "physically remove the name Principality for a two-week period." UEFA already started using "National Stadium of Wales" in its "literature promoting this year's final" (WALES ONLINE, 5/11).
