• Barcelona supporters wearing Lionel Messi shirts watch the game from the stands during the Liga match between Barcelona and Rayo Vallecano at Camp Nou on March 8, 2015 in Barcelona, Spain. Getty Images
    Barcelona supporters wearing Lionel Messi shirts watch the game from the stands during the Liga match between Barcelona and Rayo Vallecano at Camp Nou on March 8, 2015 in Barcelona, Spain. Getty Images
  • Photographers gather around the halfway line as Johan Cruyff waves farewell to the fans before his final game for Barcelona against former club Ajax on 28th May 1978 at the Camp Nou football stadium in Barcelona, Spain. Getty Images
    Photographers gather around the halfway line as Johan Cruyff waves farewell to the fans before his final game for Barcelona against former club Ajax on 28th May 1978 at the Camp Nou football stadium in Barcelona, Spain. Getty Images
  • Diego Armando Maradona, Allan Simonsen and Bernd Schuster, at the presentation of the Barcelona squad for the 1982-1983 season, held at the Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain, on July 28, 1982. Getty Images
    Diego Armando Maradona, Allan Simonsen and Bernd Schuster, at the presentation of the Barcelona squad for the 1982-1983 season, held at the Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain, on July 28, 1982. Getty Images
  • Thousands of balloons are released at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, at the start of the Fifa World Cup, 14th June 1982. Getty Images
    Thousands of balloons are released at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, at the start of the Fifa World Cup, 14th June 1982. Getty Images
  • Steve Bruce leads Manchester United onto the pitch before the European Cup match against Barcelona at the Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, 1994. Barcelona won the match 4-0. Getty Images
    Steve Bruce leads Manchester United onto the pitch before the European Cup match against Barcelona at the Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, 1994. Barcelona won the match 4-0. Getty Images
  • Bobby Robson is presented as the Barcelona manager in 1996 at the Camp Nou Stadium. Getty Images
    Bobby Robson is presented as the Barcelona manager in 1996 at the Camp Nou Stadium. Getty Images
  • Manchester United fans celebrate victory in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich in the Camp Nou Stadium in 1999. Getty Images
    Manchester United fans celebrate victory in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich in the Camp Nou Stadium in 1999. Getty Images
  • Ronaldinho waves to the fans inside Camp Nou during his unveiling as a Barcelona player on July 21, 2003. Getty Images
    Ronaldinho waves to the fans inside Camp Nou during his unveiling as a Barcelona player on July 21, 2003. Getty Images
  • Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard speaks with World Selection Team's coach Johan Cruyff before a friendly football match at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, 30 November 2004. AFP
    Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard speaks with World Selection Team's coach Johan Cruyff before a friendly football match at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, 30 November 2004. AFP
  • Barcelona supporters display a huge banner inside Camp Nou to thank Xavi Hernandez for his career. EPA
    Barcelona supporters display a huge banner inside Camp Nou to thank Xavi Hernandez for his career. EPA
  • Fans pay homage inside Camp Nou to Johan Cruyff, prior to the match between Barcelona and Real Madrid. EPA
    Fans pay homage inside Camp Nou to Johan Cruyff, prior to the match between Barcelona and Real Madrid. EPA
  • Catalan Pro-Independence flags are waved inside the Camp Nou as Lionel Messi plays in a match between Barcelona and Eibar on September 19, 2017. Getty Images
    Catalan Pro-Independence flags are waved inside the Camp Nou as Lionel Messi plays in a match between Barcelona and Eibar on September 19, 2017. Getty Images
  • Fans pay tribute to midfielder Andres Iniesta during his last game for Barcelona, prior the Liga match between Barcelona and Real Sociedad at Camp Nou stadium in Madrid, Spain, 20 May 2018. EPA
    Fans pay tribute to midfielder Andres Iniesta during his last game for Barcelona, prior the Liga match between Barcelona and Real Sociedad at Camp Nou stadium in Madrid, Spain, 20 May 2018. EPA
  • Barcelona fans show their support prior to the Liga match between Barcelona and Real Madrid at Camp Nou on May 6, 2018. Getty Images
    Barcelona fans show their support prior to the Liga match between Barcelona and Real Madrid at Camp Nou on May 6, 2018. Getty Images
  • General view of the Camp Nou stadium before the Spanish LaLiga soccer match between FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, in Barcelona, Spain, 06 April 2019. EPA
    General view of the Camp Nou stadium before the Spanish LaLiga soccer match between FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, in Barcelona, Spain, 06 April 2019. EPA
  • A general view of the tifo display before the UEFA Champions League Semi Final first leg match between Barcelona and Liverpool at the Nou Camp on May 01, 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. Getty Images
    A general view of the tifo display before the UEFA Champions League Semi Final first leg match between Barcelona and Liverpool at the Nou Camp on May 01, 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. Getty Images
  • View of the facade of Camp Nou stadium picturing a collage of Barcelona players Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique, Frenkie De Jong, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen and Antoine Griezmann, made with photos shared by fans from worldwide. EPA
    View of the facade of Camp Nou stadium picturing a collage of Barcelona players Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique, Frenkie De Jong, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen and Antoine Griezmann, made with photos shared by fans from worldwide. EPA
  • A general view outside the Camp Nou stadium prior to the Liga match between Barcelona and Valencia on December 19, 2020. Getty Images
    A general view outside the Camp Nou stadium prior to the Liga match between Barcelona and Valencia on December 19, 2020. Getty Images
  • General view of the action during the match between Barcelona and Real Madrid at Camp Nou on October 24, 2021. Getty Images
    General view of the action during the match between Barcelona and Real Madrid at Camp Nou on October 24, 2021. Getty Images
  • A fan waves a Barcelona flag as he arrives at the Camp Nou stadium prior to the Champions League match between Barcelona and Dinamo Kiev on October 20, 2021. Getty Images
    A fan waves a Barcelona flag as he arrives at the Camp Nou stadium prior to the Champions League match between Barcelona and Dinamo Kiev on October 20, 2021. Getty Images

Camp Nou or Nou Camp? Has the Spotify name change put the argument to rest?


  • English
  • Arabic

The times. They are a-changin'.

Bob Dylan's 1964 folk track will be low down on the list of a go-to song for most Barcelona fans who will soon probably be taking advantage of a sweet Spotify premium deal to celebrate a much-needed cash injection.

The Catalan giants had long prided themselves on being sponsorless, but to quote Dylan: "The slow one now, will later be fast. As the present now, will later be past."

But renaming the historic old Camp Nou? That's akin to giving the Sagrada Familia a "brought to you by" tagline - or Parc Guell having an elongated prefix. It's seeping Americanisation in football and it's not on.

However, it does answer a lingering question - particularly for native English speakers.

Camp Nou or Nou Camp?

Naming it the Spotify Camp Nou - officially - means that most football fans in England can end their obsession with calling it the Nou Camp.

A little historical look on Google Trends shows the majority of the world calls it Camp Nou with notable exceptions in Turkey, the UK, Vietnam, Slovakia and Ireland.

Turkey, Ireland and the UK have historically called Barcelona's home ground the 'Nou Camp'.
Turkey, Ireland and the UK have historically called Barcelona's home ground the 'Nou Camp'.

But there is hope on the horizon. In the past day, search conventions around Camp Nou/Nou Camp are changing. In Ireland, 64 per cent of users typed in Camp Nou. In the UK that split was 66-34 per cent. In Turkey, the split is 70-30 per cent.

On March 15, users in Ireland and the UK were searching for Camp Nou more frequently than Nou Camp.
On March 15, users in Ireland and the UK were searching for Camp Nou more frequently than Nou Camp.

Will fans adopt the Spotify name change?

There are certainly some breakout searches on Google Trends but in the long run it is not likely.

Unlike Americans who love to attend basketball fixtures at the Smoothie King Center, adopting branded stadium names in parlance has worked well mainly in new-builds. Arsenal's The Emirates Stadium is so strong you have to Google what the ground's formal name was (Ashburton Grove).

Sometimes they work too well when the eventual naming rights expire. Coventry City fans still call their now two-decade-old stadium the Ricoh, despite it now being The Coventry Building Society Stadium. Bolton Wanderers' stadium is still pretty much "The Reebok".

Why have Barcelona gone all-in with Spotify?

Up until 1982, their famous blaugrana shirt didn't even have a supplier let alone a shirt sponsor front and centre. But that changed with an altruistic deal with the UN children's agency Unicef in 2006. Unicef remains a secondary shirt sponsor to this day.

Another non-financial sponsorship deal with the Qatar Foundation followed for a couple of seasons. Then, in 2013, Barca received their first monetary sponsor with Qatar Airways - a deal estimated to be worth about €170 million over four years. Since 2017 Barca have been sponsored by Japanese e-commerce firm Rakuten for about €55m a year. The club also has a secondary shirt sponsor by Turkish appliance maker Beko.

Barca have not confirmed how much the Spotify sponsorship deal is worth although reports suggest the club could earn up to €300 million ($328.6 million) over the four years. A tidy amount.

But this pales in comparison with English clubs such as Manchester United who enjoyed a $559m deal with Chevrolet over seven years - and they didn't have to prefix Old Trafford.

“This partnership will allow us to continue to bring the club closer to its fans and make them feel, even more, part of the Barca family," says President Joan Laporta.

Perhaps. But recently at the Catalan club Money's Too Tight (To Mention).

Company profile

Name: Thndr

Started: October 2020

Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: FinTech

Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000

Funding stage: series A; $20 million

Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC,  Rabacap and MSA Capital

Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?

The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.

The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.

He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.

He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.

He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.

Specs

Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric

Range: Up to 610km

Power: 905hp

Torque: 985Nm

Price: From Dh439,000

Available: Now

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
​​​​​​​Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km

Afghanistan fixtures
  • v Australia, today
  • v Sri Lanka, Tuesday
  • v New Zealand, Saturday,
  • v South Africa, June 15
  • v England, June 18
  • v India, June 22
  • v Bangladesh, June 24
  • v Pakistan, June 29
  • v West Indies, July 4
Her most famous song

Aghadan Alqak (Would I Ever Find You Again)?

Would I ever find you again
You, the heaven of my love, my yearning and madness;
You, the kiss to my soul, my cheer and
sadness?
Would your lights ever break the night of my eyes again?
Would I ever find you again?
This world is volume and you're the notion,
This world is night and you're the lifetime,
This world is eyes and you're the vision,
This world is sky and you're the moon time,
Have mercy on the heart that belongs to you.

Lyrics: Al Hadi Adam; Composer: Mohammed Abdel Wahab

W.
Wael Kfoury
(Rotana)

MATCH RESULT

Al Jazira 3 Persepolis 2
Jazira:
Mabkhout (52'), Romarinho (77'), Al Hammadi (90' 6)
Persepolis: Alipour (42'), Mensha (84')

Updated: March 16, 2022, 11:45 AM