April 22 – FC Barcelona will sell the naming rights to its famous Camp Nou stadium but donate the proceeds to coronavirus funds.
The Camp Nou is one of the cathedrals of world football and at present the largest stadium in Europe with a capacity of 99,000.
Barcelona has long resisted selling the naming rights, but had opened up the sponsorship to help fund renovations around the Camp Nou complex. The coronavirus has accelerated club discussion with potential partners, in part to combat the coronavirus via proceeds to its charity and in part to seek a long-term deal for the club.
On Tuesday, the Barcelona executive board said it will donate the entire fee raised by selling the title rights to the Camp Nou for one year to fighting the global pandemic. “We want to send a universal message: For the first time someone will have the opportunity to put their name on Camp Nou and the revenues will go to all of humanity, not just Barca,” said club vice president Jordi Cardoner.
“The initiative arose in an emergency situation. We think that we have to have a very quick response, putting our crown jewel at the service (of the fight).”
The club wants to put the stadium naming rights on sale for the 2020-21 season and donate the proceeds through the Barcelona Foundation. The stadium was inaugurated in 1957 and has never had a formal name in its 63-year existence. Barcelona is seeking to revamp the stadium and surrounding areas including expanding the capacity to 105,000.
A club statement said: “In the next few weeks, the Barça Foundation, through the Club’s Commercial Area, will begin the process of finding a sponsor who wishes to acquire the title rights to Camp Nou for a season with the proceeds going to finance research projects and other projects involved in the battle against the effects of COVID-19, both at a local and international level.”
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1714037131labto1714037131ofdlr1714037131owedi1714037131sni@o1714037131fni1714037131