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Real Madrid have caused controversy after it was revealed that the Christian cross has been removed from their badge in marketing materials relating to their partnership with the National Bank of Abu Dhabi.
Ruben Jimenez of Marca reported the news and raised concerns about its implications. “From the looks of things, the club is willing to compromise on aspects of its identity in pursuit of these new fans,” he wrote.
His comment raises two questions: Should the club have made such a concession? In doing so, have Real Madrid abandoned their heritage?
Religion is certainly more visible in Spain than it is in some other European countries. From the full family groups that dress up and head to church every Sunday to the countless religious festivals and the impressive parades through the streets on Easter, it is a country where religion, as a spectacle at least, is highly cherished.
Yet Real Madrid, as a club, has no particular religious ties. Indeed, one of its forebears, Football Club Sky, was established by academics and students from the Institucion Libre de Ensenanza,an establishment that refused to adhere to religious dogma in its teaching.
The cross in question tops the Spanish crown that was added to Madrid’s badge in 1920 after King Alfonso XIII bestowed the title of "Real" ("Royal") on the club. It was removed upon the formation of the Second Spanish Republic in 1931 before being reinstated in 1941. It has remained a part of the badge ever since.
Other royal-appointed clubs, such as Real Betis, Real Sociedad and Real Valladolid, also carry the same image atop their crests.
If anything, Madrid’s removal of the cross should be more of an affront to the Spanish royal family than it is to Christian groups.
There is also a history of large Western companies making allowances for the Muslim consumer. Per Arabian Business, McDonald’s has a full halal menu in its Middle Eastern locations. KFC, too, guarantees that all of its food products are certified as halal.
Like it or not, Real Madrid deserves to be mentioned in the same breadth as these multinationals. It is no longer a mere sports club defending the honour of the Spanish crown but a large global business, active throughout the world.
And with many of the traditional European powers suffering from economic uncertainty at this moment in time, it is the Middle East that offers some of the best investment and partnership opportunities for globally recognised football clubs.
Manchester City were purchased by the Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008, while Qatar Sports Investments has been the majority shareholder of Paris Saint-Germain since 2011. The Dubai-based airline, Emirates, is the shirt sponsor of Real Madrid, AC Milan, Arsenal and PSG, among others.
Qatar Airways sponsor Madrid’s domestic rivals, Barcelona.
Just last month, as per Reuters, Real Madrid announced a “long-term strategic partnership” with the Abu Dhabi-based International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC). The agreement will help to fund the €400 million redevelopment of the club’s iconic Bernabeu stadium and could eventually be expanded to include the provision of naming rights for the new arena.
The deal with the National Bank of Abu Dhabi is a three-year partnership that will see some of the institution’s offerings, including a credit card, branded as Real Madrid products.
But these recent deals are not the first time Florentino Perez has done business with Middle Eastern companies, nor is it the first time that the cross has been removed from Madrid’s badge for such a partnership.
Back in 2012, the club announced an agreement for the construction of a $1 billion Real Madrid-themed resort island in the United Arab Emirates. Marca (h/t Brooks Peck of Yahoo Sports) noted that the crest displayed in promotional materials did not include the cross.
The most recent removal has received more scrutiny because, as Jewish newspaperThe Algemeiner notes, this is time of great concern for Christians in the Middle East, one in which “Islamic State terrorists have massacred and ethnically cleansed ancient Christian communities in Iran and Syria.”
Yet expecting Real Madrid to make a stand against what the paper terms as “religious intolerance” is to ask them to step outside of their bounds, either as the amateur sports club they were when first established or as the multibillion, multinational business they are today.
Real Madrid are not a religious institution seeking to promote Christian values across the world. They are a football club and a business. Perez’s primary motivation is to increase revenue and introduce the Real Madrid brand to new markets.
It is unfair to expect any more from him or the club. The founding values of Real Madrid have not been jeopardised by this one minor alteration to their badge for one particular market. It is simply the cost of doing business in a world where the major money is no longer to be readily found where it once was.
