PHOTO: Real Madrid Shock Fans by Tweaking Their Club Badge to Improve Revenue From the Middle East

Real Madrid are set to make a somewhat controversial modification to their famous crest in a bid to increase merchandising sales out in the Middle East.

Reports in Spanish newspaperEl Confidencialsuggest that the small cross at the very top of the badge, which of course is symbolic of both Christianity andCatholicism,will be removed in order to improve religious 'sensitivities'.

RT MiddleEastEye "Christian cross removed from Real Madrid logo in UAE https://t.co/fowr2qDH4J pic.twitter.com/GcenCmyzwo"

Los Blancos have recently agreed a deal with United Arab Emirates based company Marka, who control a number of retail distribution centres in the region.

Real hope that the deal will see a growth in the club's revenue coming fromthe UAE and surrounding countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the hosts for the 2022 World Cup, Qatar.

Whilst the move will upset some of themore conservative members of Los Blancos' fanbase,Khaled al-Mheiri, the vice president of Marka, has insisted that the removal of the cross at the top of the badge is necessary.

He told Reuters (as quoted by101 Great Goals):We have to be careful in the Gulf regions where there is sensitivity about products having a cross�.

Real Madrid remove cross from logo for Middle East fans due to "cultural sensitivities"https://t.co/p1xubKlTAa pic.twitter.com/a9hlFuDIPH

when Emirates & Real Madrid made a mega $ deal, E. requested the cross came off the crown of the logo. As yet, it hasn't. pic.twitter.com/BXLa8Zo1ky

Real Madrid drops Christian cross from crest to avoid upsetting Muslim supporters https://t.co/r4qIA3APZx

This is incredibly regressive and intolerant https://t.co/uorDTohZ1D