Barcelona's Camp Nou May Get Name Change, Admits Qatar Airways

Barcelona's famous Camp Nou stadium may receive a new name as part of a sponsorship agreement with Qatar Airways.

"Everything is a possibility for our company; we're open to surprises and one of these could be connected to the name of Camp Nou," said Akbar al Baker, the airline company's CEO, reported by Marca.

Nicholas Godden of the Daily Mail suggested Barca's current agreement is due to expire in 2016. It is worth £25 million per season and has been in place since 2013, when the Blaugrana printed a corporate sponsor on their shirts for the first time in 113 years.

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"Qatar Airways and Barcelona have the same values," said Al Baker, per Godden.

Javier Faus, Barca's vice-president, also confirmed the club is looking to move forward on a new deal with the Arab organisation, as reported by Godden:

"

Barcelona have nothing but gratitude for Qatar Airways. We are extremely satisfied with Qatar Airways and I can assure you there are zero problems with Qatar Airways, zero with Qatar and we definitely hope that this partnership lasts many, many, more years. We are set to negotiate a new deal with them. A final decision will be made this year.

"

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Such a decision is a sign of the times in football. UEFA's financial fair play rules ensure clubs in European competition have to break even if they're to escape punishments, including fines and squad caps. The more Barca plan to spend, the more they need to earn. Considering the club's current transfer ban ends in January 2016, it's likely a major spending spree is planned once FIFA's restrictions are lifted.

News of Barca's potential stadium name switch comes shortly after it was suggested Real Madrid could go through the same process.

A deal reportedly worth €500 million may see the Santiago Bernabeu receive an Abu Dhabi prefix, the potential result of an agreement formed with the United Arab Emirates-based International Petroleum Investment Company, per Andy West of BBC Sport.

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Sponsored arena names are commonplace in football. Arsenal's Emirates Stadium and Manchester City's Etihad Stadium are two other examples of airlines flexing their financial muscles, but neither Premier League side had a great history with their home before the names were formed.

The Sky Blues had only been in the old City of Manchester Stadium for eight years before the switch was made, while Arsenal's Emirates deal was added on completion of the new stadium. Both Barca and Madrid risk the wrath of their fans with the name change—these are iconic locations steeped in history—but the financial state of the game means such a decision is likely to be beneficial.

These deals allow greater funds to be spent on the team, and in turn, generate more interest in the club. Although undoubtedly a difficult decision to make, these days elite football teams are forced to explore any avenue possible to make cash, something which isn't going to change now that the financial fair play rules are in place.