Is the end near for Anfield?

After a crazy first half of the season for Liverpool, it looks like not just the team is in a bad shape. The administration of the club has considered selling the naming rights to their new Stanley Park stadium to the highest bidder. So yes, it seems like the end of the legacy of Anfield is near. Unless there is someone who would make the highest bid, get the naming rights and name it Anfield.

Graham Agg of the German Reds official supporters’ club said to the Daily Mail:

“Can you imagine the Nou Camp or Bernabeu being bulldozed by Barcelona or Real Madrid, or Inter Milan leaving the San Siro? You’re talking about football’s cathedrals, and Anfield is one of them. There is too much heritage, history and tradition for it all to be thrown away.”

Whereas, Liverpool’s commercial director Ian Ayre disagreed:

“Naming rights is now an accepted part of building any new football venue, and as one of few global brands in the game, it would be crazy of us not to tap into that opportunity.”

Ian Ayre’s statement makes it perfectly clear that Liverpool is not thinking football anymore. Money is all over their head and from how I see it, the plan seems to be to sell the naming rights so maybe they have enough to get another Fernando Torres. After all, since they bought Torres, good players have only become more expensive.

Note to Liverpool fans: Once the naming rights to Stanley Park have been sold and the stadium has been renamed Sheikh Zayed Park or something, remember you sold your 18 titles and all the good football you played with it. Haha.

On a rather serious note, the name under consideration is Carlsberg Anfield.

About Stanley Park
stanley-parkIn February 2003, the stadium was given planning permission and the stadium was scheduled to open in August 2012 but due to the economic conditions, no construction has been done yet and no construction will be done until the economic conditions improve. Small scale preliminary site preparation began in 2008 but that’s about it. There is no official date for the start of construction or completion.

Another interesting speculation around the new stadium is that due to the government’s rejection of Everton’s stadium project and financial problems at both the clubs, there might be a possibility of a joint stadium project. Such a project has received support from the leader of Liverpool city council and the chief of Liverpool’s bid to host matches as part of an English 2018 World Cup bid.

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