GOAL

Mike Tyson’s cannabis company hopes to secure the naming rights to Barcelona’s stadium, the former boxing champion’s business partner has said.

Barcelona announced this week that they will sell the naming rights to Camp Nou for the 2020-21 campaign and donate the proceeds to help in the fight against coronavirus.

Many big companies are expected to line up with a bid to have their name associated with the iconic stadium and prestigious club.

However heavyweight champion Tyson is hoping he can fight off the competition and raise the profile of his company, SwissX, which sells a range of CBD and cannabis-based products.

“It’s a great stadium,” Tyson’s business partner Alki David told BBC Sport : “It’s something we’ve specifically been looking for to adopt in our company and it seemed like an amazing idea.

“My company is a cannabis company and Spain has a long tradition within the European Union as being a leader or a liberal in the road towards legalization, so it’s evolved quite naturally.”

Asked if a deal with Tyson’s company could harm Barcelona’s reputation, David said: “That remains to be seen. The world is born on ideas.”

David, a billionaire who is involved with several companies, says he is already in talks with the Catalan giants and is optimistic about his chances of securing a deal.

"This is an opportunity that I am bullish about. It is an historic moment in the history of sport and it fits well with my current plans," he said earlier this week. "Contact was opened at the start of the week and I am quietly confident the deal will be secured."

"Manchester City got just over £18 million for their annual rights, Spurs are now seeking £25m, but Barcelona are on a different level.

"This deal with the Nou Camp is another way to help. It is full of all the energy that Barcelona stands for. My health company has been working hard with top virologists, including the UK's Dr Dorothy Bray, to look at any way we can hit this virus.

"Swissx Nou Camp has a nice ring to it. That is my preferred choice at the moment."