La Liga club Atletico Madrid has sold the naming rights to its home stadium to Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Air, according to the AP. The club did not disclose financial terms of the nine-year deal to name the stadium Riyadh Air Metropolitano, but it did call the state-owned airline the “most important sponsor in the club’s history.” Riyadh Air, which has yet to begin operations, last year signed a five-year shirt sponsorship worth a reported $44M annually. Saudi Arabia likely will host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, and the deals with Atletico “provide a link” to club CEO Miguel Ángel Gil Marin. He is a European Club Association board member; that group “should be a key stakeholder in negotiations with FIFA over which months the 2034 World Cup will be played” (AP, 10/9).
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