Atletico Madrid are set to hear out their fans on the issue of the design of their club badge. They will hold a consultory vote on returning to their previous version this Saturday.
The original crest was changed in 2017 without notice, which infuriated seemingly vast and at the very least vocal swathes of the Atletico fanbase. It was perceived as a move to modernise the club badge.
However it has since created a rift between the heirarchy at Atletico and the fans, particularly the belligerent Frente Atletico group, which make up the majority of their singing section, as detailed by Relevo.
Fans have been demanding that the board change it back for the six years since through a number of protests, under the slogan ‘you do not touch the badge’.
This weekend Atletico Madrid will hold a vote for members to gauge the interest of changing their badge back to the previous design.
The vote is non-binding. #AtelticoMadrid pic.twitter.com/IMOJ8qjqUH
— Football España (@footballespana_) June 23, 2023
Atletico have announced after a meeting of their social commission that members will have the chance to vote on the issue this Saturday, declaring whether they are interested in returning to the old design or not. That vote is non-binding and will not require any action depending on the result.
Various Atletico Madrid players, past and present, have manifested their support for a return to the old design, including captain Koke Resurreccion.
🚨| Saúl, Gabi, Juanfran & Raul Garcia on IG. 😍 pic.twitter.com/wYRIIolaBA
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) June 23, 2023
At the very least it shows a willingness to listen to the fans, something not always present in football ownership. Whether they act on it will be definitive though, and should they not do so in the face of an overwhelming result in favour of returning to the old design, it will only make Atletico Madrid fans more irate. Thus far it has also been argued that the cost of changing the badge back after just six years conditions the decision.
