Messi scared off a millionaire sponsorship offer

The FC Barcelona rejected in the last months two offers of sponsors who tried to announce in the frontal of the Barcelona shirt from the course 2022-2023.

As EFE has learned, one of them was from a ‘cryptoexchanges’ company (cryptocurrency exchange point) and the other from an Indian company dedicated to online education, the two above 55 million euros per year.

The company of ‘cryptoexchange’ is one of the three largest in its sector and came to offer 70 million plus a bonus of 20% according to the performance of the first men’s soccer team.

The offer even passed all the internal controls of the club, including that of the ‘compliance’ department, which is in charge of both internal and external regulatory compliance, but It did not convince either the commercial or the board of directors because it is a controversial sector.

The reason for breaking the negotiations that Barça gave to the company, which participates in major events in the United States, was that it could get more money by sponsoring its shirt.

The Indian offer and Messi’s goodbye

With better eyes, Laporta received the offer from an Indian company dedicated to online education that this summer he came to offer 58 million euros plus a 15% bonus and that matched the values ​​defended by the Barça club.

By its nature, the sponsorship could include collaborations with the Barça academies and with the Barça Innovation Hub (the area of ​​technological innovation).

But, despite the fact that the company was substantially increasing the initial 40 million it offered, some executives of the Catalan entity wanted it to exceed 60 million a year and the negotiation was postponed when it was about to close in May. Until at the beginning of August the goodbye of Leo Messi arrived, the best asset of Barça, and everything was broken.

Then the company stood up and, although Laporta reacted desperately by holding a telematic meeting, it was too late and there was no turning back.

A) Yes, Right now there is no negotiation close to closing to be the Rakuten relief as of June 30, 2022, that this season is paying 30 million euros plus variable.

The Saudi way

But Barça is exploring a path that Josep Maria Bartomeu’s board of directors already tried two years ago. Part of the executive of the Barça club is interested in an investment fund owned by the Saudi government contributing 100 million euros per year for sponsorship.

The option is meeting with many reluctance within the club, since the recent General Assembly of Committees approved the inclusion in the Statutes of the commitment of fight against gender discrimination, homophobia, sexism and racism, values ​​that are considered not to be in line with this sponsorship.

As of November 2021, the Barça club has 29 sponsors, eleven fewer than there were in April 2019, when the historical record of 40 was achieved.

And, in the commercial department, which feels little attended by the presidency and executives, it is feared that in the worst case scenario another ten could be lost at the end of this year. The one on the left sleeve, which was left empty after Beko’s resignation, is not close to closing either.

At the end of July, Jordi Camps, the third commercial director of Barça during this 2021, announced that he was leaving office and has not yet found a replacement.