Christian Cross Removed from Real Madrid’s Logo in Middle East Merchandise Deal

The Team will not feature a cross on merchandise sold in the Middle East.

Real Madrid have been asked to make changes to their team crest as part of a merchandising deal. The Christian cross in the team crest will not be used in the clothing to be sold across six Middle Eastern nations.

Christian Cross Removed from Real Madrid’s Logo in Middle East Merchandise Deal[/tweetthis]

One of the highest revenue generating football clubs in the world, Real Madrid, are sponsored by Emirates, which is a Dubai-based airline company. Now, Emirates has struck a deal with clothing manufacturer, Marka. The deal grants full rights to Marka with regards to the production and sale of Real Madrid merchandise. The target countries for the products are Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and UAE.

According to Marka, Khaled al-Mheiri, the Vice Chairman of Marka, the removal of the cross is a “minor” alteration, done only to appeal to the sensitivities of the target market.

The deal covers all products including swimwear, polo shirts, and t-shirts. However, replica jerseys will not be subject to the deal as the rights to their production and sale is already held by Adidas. These jerseys will continue to have the Christian cross present on the crest.

Marka’s Real Madrid themed products will go on sale by March.

When inquired about the deal, Real Madrid did not offer to provide an immediate response.

However, Fernando Sanz, former defender for Real Madrid, who is currently serving as the General Director for La Liga’s Middle East & North Africa divisions, spoke to the media saying that the change was not of significant concern. He mentioned middle eastern media wasn’t even covering the issue and that football was beyond politics.

Sanz also added that Spanish Clubs had a massive fan following across the globe and it was necessary to show respect to the various cultures and nationalities that admired them.

This isn’t the first time the club has been asked to make changes to its crest. In 2014, a merchandising agreement involving Real Madrid branded credit cards was offered by the National Bank of Abu Dhabi without the cross.

The Liga team have many similar deals with nations that are Muslim-dominated. For example, its current sponsor, Emirates, is from the UAE. The team is also receiving 400 million euros in funding, for the renovation of its Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, from the International Petroleum Investment Company, which is also a Gulf-based firm owned by the Abu Dhabi government. In fact, the deal entails the addition of a name to the famous football ground.

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