Atletico Madrid members have voted strongly in favour of returning to their former badge, which was changed to a more ‘modernised’ design in 2016.
‘The badge is not to be touched’ has been a long-running campaign from Atletico Madrid fans ever since the badge was altered without consultation with the fans. It had even become part of a long-running rift between board and fans, resulting in a number of protests.
Last Saturday a consultory vote was held by the club to see how interested fans would be in changing the badge, resulting in a 44% approval rate. That led to a binding vote on the decision this week, with the voting closed at 14:00 CEST on Friday.
Atletico Madrid announced the results, admitting a majority of the 56% of members that participated wanted the old badge to return.
💣🚨| OFFICIAL: 77,690 Atlético de Madrid socios participated in the vote for the crest. 88.68% voted in favor of the previous shield. The club will officially revert back to its old shield. pic.twitter.com/UOcUpaTF0Q
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) June 30, 2023
68,894 members voted, 88.68% of which in favour, which is to say 49,61% of the total membership. 8,796 members, 11.32% of the voters were against, which is 6.33% of the membership.
Atletico Madrid noted in their statement that it would be a lengthy and expensive process, including recalling and remaking some of their kits for the 2024-25 season. The new badge will be reinstated in all areas by the first of July 2024, 12 months from now.
There was a definite reluctance to carry out the move due to the cost of the operation on the part of the club, but this has to be seen as a victory for social pressure. Fans have consistently raised their voice on the matter, and pushed the club towards this decision – an increasingly rare occurrence in football these days.
