First Dr Cullen Park and now Santiago Bernabeu – where will these stadium name changes end?

Is nothing sacred anymore?

Hot on the heels of the uproar in Carlow GAA circles that  the 'doctor' in Dr Cullen Park has been replaced by a security company, Real Madrid are about to do the same to their own sporting theatre. The Santiago Bernabeu is one of the most loved (or hated of you're a Barcelona fan) stadiums in the world, but the money men at Madrid feel that there wasn't enough commercial potential in old fashioned Santiago so he's being renamed instead. So much for history and all that but it's not a major surprise after a deal with Abu Dhabi bank saw them remove the cross from their crest in certain areas of the world  Reports today in Spain suggest Florentino Perez has been caught on camera admitting that the home of Gareth Bale and Ronaldo will be renamed the 'Abu Dhabi Bernabeu' after an investment arm of the gulf-state agreed to finance some of the money needed to remodel the stadium. Madrid agreed a deal in November with the International Petroleum Investment Company and Perez is reported to have been caught saying 'we’ll call it IPIC Bernabéu or whatever they want, or Cepsa Bernabéu'. The initial money is rumoured to be around €3 million per season but that will increase to over €20 million when work begins. But Santiago Bernabeu was not just the name of a stadium, he was an actual person who is credited with turning Real from the second most successful team in Madrid to the biggest giant in all the world. Now, it would seem, he will be known as Abu Dhabi Bernabeu. Oh well. This move comes hot on the the heels of Dr. Cullen Park, named in memory of the former Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin and a man who devoted his life to the cloth as well as GAA in Carlow, being rebranded Netwatch Cullen Park. It got us thinking what other potential name changes could be in the pipeline for famous stadiums across Ireland. How about the 'Tetra Delta Hyde Park' in Roscommon, or 'Tayto Tailteann' in Meath or McHale Balers Park' in Mayo. or how would Munster fans react to 'Saudi Arabia Park' in the heart of Limerick. The possibilities could be endless, and scary. Ht to AS