One-year extension of the contract with Qatar and the new agreement with Nike approved

FC Barcelona's 2016 Ordinary General Assembly saw the approval of the one-year extension to the sponsorship agreement with Qatar Airways, after the presentation made by the vice-president for the area of marketing, Manel Arroyo, and following the opinions of delegates who asked to give their view. The vote saw a result of 483 votes in favour of the extension, while 251 voted against and 60 voted blank.

More time to work and negotiate

Manel Arroyo defended the contract extension with Qatar Airways through to June 2017 for 33.5 million euros by saying it will give “more time to work and negotiate the sponsorship agreement that the Club desires”.

Arroyo reaffirmed that Qatar has expressed its satisfaction of being with Barça: “We have to thank them for accepting this extension, as they know we are looking for the sponsorship deal the club deserves, and have shown their desire to maintain a good relationship with the club".

Aiming for a new offer

Arroyo explained that the club is negotiating for another sponsor but that it is not a straightforward process: “They are difficult negotiations, with multinational brands and over significant amounts which range between 50 and 65 million euros”.

Delegate members also approved the renewal and extension of the sponsorship agreement with Nike, which was set to end in 2018 and has now been extended by ten years - the initial five and then five more which are extendable - until 30 June 2028. The vote saw 584 in favour, ten against and nine blank.

The General Ordinary Assembly of FC Barcelona members has also given broad support to the financial accounts put forward this Saturday at the Palau Blaugrana, figures that are a record in the Club’s history. First, the settlement of the financial year 2015/16 was approved with a profit of 29 million euros (794 votes in favour, 36 against and 29 abstentions), with this season’s record budget of 695 million euros of income also approved (771 votes in favour, 45 against and 46 abstentions).

Settlement of the financial year 2015/16

The vice president of FC Barcelona and director responsible for area of finance, Susana Monje, delivered the details to the member delegates. “For the first time, Barça is the number 1 in income in the world amongst sporting clubs,” she highlighted as the overall figure was revealed to be 679 million euros, with profits of 28.7 million euros, some 8.7 million more than expected.

The budget for the season 2016/17 was presented by the FC Barcelona CEO, Òscar Grau. In his first appearance before members since assuming the post, the former Barça handball player outlined the Club’s strategy to become “the most admired, international and loved sporting institution.” In order to reach that goal a 2% increase in revenue is expected with a predicted figure of 695 million euros set.

Growth in marketing and TV income

The area of biggest growth is in Marketing, in line with the Club’s desire to extend the reach of the Barça brand globally. With regards to media income, there is an increase of 8% thanks to the new centralised television rights agreement with the LFP (Professional Football League).

Grau ended his presentation by setting the bar even higher for the Club in the coming years: “Barça has been and is more than a Club, but we have the chance to become also a great brand and to lead the world of football in the next few years. We are sure that we can do it, it is simply down to us.”