Madrid, Nov 7 (IANS) Could the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, the famous home of Real Madrid football club, be about to change its name for financial reasons?
According to Maria Garana, the Microsoft president in Spain, the answer could well be "yes", as she revealed in an interview with Spanish TV network Antena 3 that the company was in negotiations with Real Madrid for that to happen. The club is named after its former president, reports Xinhua.
"We are speaking to Real Madrid, that tells us where both parties are at the moment," said Garana.
"Real Madrid are exploring the issue and Microsoft will also have to carry out our own analysis. We have an excellent relationship with them," she added, before saying the idea had come from the football club rather than from Microsoft.
"They have put the possibility of changing the name of the stadium forward to us as they have to other companies and we are speaking about the possibility."
Real Madrid are thought to have also spoken to the airline Fly Emirates and the car producers Audi, both of whom already have close commercial ties with the club, with a view to them sponsoring the stadium, while their relationship with Microsoft began earlier this year when they signed an agreement to cooperate in several Latin America countries.
"They are one of the most important companies of our time," said Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, who has promised to carry out a major reform of Real Madrid's home ground with the construction of a roof and also a hotel. The reform has an estimated cost of 400 million euros and four projects are currently on the table.
Although other major clubs in Europe, among them Arsenal and Bayern Munich, play in stadiums which are named after their sponsors, (The Emirates and the Allianz Arena) it will be interesting to see how Real Madrid fans react at seeing a part of their heritage surrendered for commercial interests.
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