Real Madrid have altered their crest to sell jerseys in the Middle East

Real Madrid have altered their club crest in the Middle East.

According to Spanish newspaper El Confidencial, one of the world's biggest and most successful football clubs have doctored the crest on official merchandise in the Middle East. Madrid signed a merchandise deal with Marka, a retail distribution company based in the United Arab Emirates. They have gained exclusive rights to "manufacture, distribute and sell products of Real Madrid" in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman. Under the agreement, the crest on Madrid's jersey will change from this: To this: Notice the change? The small Christian cross that sits atop the crown has been removed. The crest has been redesigned for the predominately Muslim population in the countries. According to Khaled al-Mheiri, the vice-president of Marka, the crest is altered because: "We have to be careful (in the) Gulf regions, where there is sensitivity about products having a cross." Real Madrid did the same thing back in 2014 when they signed a commercial deal with National Bank of Abu Dhabi. Catch up with this week's episode of 888sport Football Friday Live