Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore to be renamed for commercial purpose: Ramiz Raja

Former Pakistani cricketer and chairman of Pakistan Control Board (PCB) Ramiz Raja has announced that the name of Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore will be changed for sponsorship reasons. The stadium’s name is being changed only for commercial reasons and it carries no political agenda.

Since its inception in 1959, the stadium was called the Lahore Stadium. However, it was renamed in the honor of former Libyan president Muammar Gaddafi in 1974. To note, the Libyan president gave a speech in Lahore during the OIC conference after which the stadium was renamed as a tribute to Gaddafi.

Negotiations with a number of sponsors is going on: PCB chief Ramiz Raja

PCB Chief has announced that the cricket board is already in advanced negotiations with several interested sponsors. The sponsor who will win the negotiations will also get the right to rename the stadium as per their choice.

Apart from the stadium in Lahore, the National Stadium, Karachi as well as other prominent cricket stadiums are expected to be renamed once sponsors are lined up.

“We acquired the services of YouGov to estimate the brand worth of our stadium, and how much sponsorship deals would be worth,” Ramiz Raja was quoted by Pakistan Observer

“That’s not just true of the Gaddafi Stadium, but also the NSK and others. We’ve been working towards this for a while, and the response from sponsors has been satisfactory. Once we finalize a deal [for Lahore], the name Gaddafi will go completely, with a sponsor’s name replacing it, ” he added.

Earlier in the day, PCB chief hinted that the Pakistan Super League (PSL) might ditch the draft system from the next season. Ramiz emphasized on the fact that he is looking to replace the draft system with the auction model through which the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been immensely successful since its inception in 2008. However, he also cleared that he will discuss this matter with the franchises first before going ahead with it.