On the Wanda Metropolitano and Atlético's new crest
Stadium name and remodelled crest leave Atleti fans unhappy
The name of Atlético Madrid's new home ground, the Wanda Metropolitano, has proved rather more of a miss than a hit with the side's fanbase. On top of that, there was the surprise unveiling of a modified club crest, which, let's just say, has hardly unleashed a wave of euphoria either. The powers that be at Atlético clearly see the stadium move as a new era, and so have opted for an update of the badge, seeking to give it a design that comes across as more current. Gone is the green of the tree, which has been merged with the strip at the top. The bear has changed shape and colour, too. Now it's purely red, white and blue. To me the alteration doesn't distort the crest: it still remains identifiably Atleti's.
But I can't lay claim to being an Atlético supporter. I feel about the club as I would a close relative, but I'm not in the shoes of all the lifelong fans I've seen disgruntled with the dual announcement. While expected (LaLiga chief Javier Tebas had let it slip), the Wanda thing isn't popular. It's a commercial name. Atleti's decision-makers have added Metropolitano onto it, but it's evidently not been enough. The 'surname' dates from half a century back. It sounds good to me, because I got to see football there and, as a means of injecting historical authenticity to offset the Wanda bit, I accept it; but many would have preferred Luis Aragonés, or perhaps Calderón, which mean more to today's fan.
In today's football world, it's a trend we'll have to get used to
This is something that just has to be got used to. It's a case of understanding these new footballing times in which stadia are taking on sponsors' names. It's been done by English clubs of such long-standing lineage as Arsenal. Football's no longer paid for by the everyday, scarf-waving, pie-and-bovril-consuming supporter. That accounts for about 20%. The rest is raised by a club's management from TV and marketing revenue. Hence the kick-off times, hence concessions such as this stadium name, the effect of which Atleti have in vain tried to mitigate with the word Metropolitano, which for me brings back fond memories, but for most seems to have felt like a MacGuffin aimed at throwing the unsuspecting fan off the scent.