BARCELONA’S ICONIC CAMP Nou stadium is set to adopt a corporate sponsor into its name next season after the La Liga club’s board signed naming rights over to the Barca Foundation charity.

A statement released by Barcelona today says that they have ceded the rights to the charity and the sale will ‘raise money to invest in research projects being carried out in Catalonia and the rest of the world involved in the fight against the effects of Covid-19′.

Barcelona’s home for 62 years, work on the stadium’s expansion was due to begin next month and the club have consistently been linked with a proposed naming rights sale to help fund the project.

Today’s announcement will allow the Barca Foundation sell the rights for the 2020/21 season.

In 2006, Barca ended a long tradition of shunning a jersey sponsor when they advertised Unicef’s name and logo on the famous Blaugrana shirt. In 2010, the children’s charity  was replaced on the front of the kit by the Qatar Foundation who have since been succeeded by Qatar Airways and Japanese internet provider Rakuten.

In pledging the proceeds of a naming rights sale to research projects and work to counter Covid-19, the club’s statement said:

“Barça are ceding those rights for a name to be put to Camp Nou for the very first time as the title rights are a commercial option that has never been exploited before.”