Fans were in for a surprise when clicking on the names of some of Spanish football’s most iconic stadiums
Internet pranksters have been up to no good, playing with the names of Spain’s most iconic football stadiums on Google Maps after a hack.
La Liga giants Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have all seen their stadium names change after a series of cyberattacks. This meant those searching for Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Spotify Camp Nou or Riyadh Air Metropolitano saw the fruits of the hackers’ labours.
In Madrid’s case, examples included ‘Mbappe Dictator’ and ‘Tchouameni’s Knockout.’ The latter was an apparent reference to the training ground drama involving Los Blancos midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni and his team-mate Fede Valverde.
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According to La Razon, the changes weren’t immediately visible. Fans would initially see the correct name of the ground but – after zooming in – would be greeted by the joke names.
Other names given to the Bernabeu included ‘Barcelona Training Ground’. The changes were made just weeks after Barca won the second league Clasico of the season to ensure they would end the season as champions.
Barcelona’s home was dubbed ‘Negreira’ by the hackers, a reference to former Spanish refereeing chief Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira. Atleti’s, meanwhile, was dubbed ‘Antarctica’ in relation to the club’s reputation for a lack of intensity under Diego Simeone and their perceived choking in major finals.
Hackers are believed to have taken advantage of vulnerabilities or editing tools to make the changes. No party took immediate credit for the changes, though fans enjoyed pointing out the behaviour on social media and many shared screenshots of the ‘new’ names.
The reports of unrest on the training ground, referenced in the ‘Tchouameni’s Knockout’ name, come during a disappointing season for Real Madrid. The club dismissed manager Xabi Alonso just months into his reign and interim boss Alvaro Arbeloa hasn’t been able to inspire a turnaround.
“It’s not great that they’re fighting amongst each other,” Premier Sports commentator Terry Gibson told Daily Star Sport before the recent Clasico. “I have seen that on a number of occasions, I was involved in it with teammates over the years, but it was normally resolved within minutes.
“This was over two days, so that’s unusual – to have a disagreement one day and then it’s continuing, even more violently, the next day is highly unusual.
“So it is the times we live in with Real Madrid. If you don’t win trophies, everything is magnified. And as I say, it’s multiplied because Barcelona – everything’s just going smoothly for Barcelona!”