Barcelona’s Sponsorship Deal: the End of an Era?

Barcelona’s Sponsorship Deal: the End of an Era?

Barcelona’s Sponsorship Deal: the End of an Era?

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by Elizabeth Hanchett, writing from Toronto

The news was announced early this morning (Central European Time).  FC Barcelona, after 111 years of not receiving any money from sponsors to display their company on their shirt, has decided to adopt a shirt sponsor.  The deal will be finalized and subsequently made official on Monday, when Barça’s president Sandro Rosell, the representatives of the sponsoring company, as well as the Spanish UNICEF representative will meet and sign the agreement.

Qatar Foundation, the new sponsor, will be giving the club 30 million euros a year (plus bonuses for any titles won) for five years, beginning this season, making it the biggest sponsorship in the history of football.  The Qatar Foundation will work closely with the UNICEF partnership as well, and it is still undecided how the two will share shirt space.  According to the press conference given by Barcelona’s economic vicepresident Xavier Faus, this partnership has been in the works since this past August, and when Argentina and Brazil had their friendly in the country, Faus and Rosell both took a trip to the Gulf as well to essentially “pre-finalize” the deal.

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(Source: philosofooty)