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- Saturday was Atlético Madrid’s most profitable singe match day
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the grand opening of the Wanda Metropolitano was the most profitable single match day in club history. All told, the club raked in a reported €200,000 on Saturday. The figure more than triples the previous record.
This is very exciting news and certainly bodes well for the future, but do not be surprised to see that number drop by quite a bit in subsequent weeks as the boost from opening day wears off and business as usual resumes.
- Wanda expected to miss out on hosting Champions League final
Not all the news for the new stadium was positive however. A report from Sports Illustrated suggests that UEFA officials are expected to pass on the Wanda Metropolitano for the 2019 Champions League final. The match is expected to be awarded to the Baku National Stadium in Azerbaijan. The cited reason for the decision is a “lack of VIP seating” at Atleti’s new ground.
Excuse my homerism, but this all sounds a bit fishy. To be fair, the Baku stadium is a fine venue and Azerbaijan has made their intentions to host a high profile international sporting event clear with multiple bids for the Summer Olympics and a stated interest in hosting the UEFA European Championship. Plus, UEFA are obsessed with growing the game in eastern Europe after years of neglect.
But c’mon. You’re going to pass on hosting the Champions League Final in a brand new venue in the world class footballing city because there aren’t enough “VIP seats”? What does that even mean?
The skeptic in me has to wonder if there isn’t something more to the story.
- Is Cavani the new Costa?
AS say that Atlético may be interested in signing Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani come January. The Uruguayan may be on the outs with the French club after recent friction with their €222 million man Neymar.
Atlético have demonstrated an interest in the player before, though it must be noted that a previous deal failed to go through because Cavani wasn’t interested. Things do change of course, and with the possible departure of Antoine Griezmann and the as yet-unfruitful Diego Costa saga dragging on, a striker of Cavani’s calibre would be much welcome.
What do you think? If you could choose between Cavani and Costa, who would it be? Let us know below!