Assembly ratifies Nike agreement

At the FC Barcelona Extraordinary General Assembly held this Saturday morning, the delegate members ratified the agreement with US sports equipment company Nike, with 419 votes in favour, 27 against, and 22 abstentions.

The Assembly was held virtually, with the Board seated in the Auditori 1899. It commenced at 11am CET on the second call, at which point 390 delegates were accredited. By 11.50am, there were 634 accredited, and by 12.27pm, 673. Before the voting, there was a Q+A session, both virtual and in person, for the delegate members.

Ferran Olivé presents details

Following the president’s report, FC Barcelona’ treasurer Ferran Olivé provided details about the relationship between the club and Nike, describing it as “a love story,” as well as about the new agreement. Olivé explained that in 2021, Joan Laporta’s Board of Directors recognized that the club was not making as much out of the Nike arrangement as it should. From that point, the intention was to renegotiate the contract with the company, ultimately achieving what the treasurer considers to be “an agreement between equals, because Nike needs Barça as much as Barça needs Nike.”

Olivé outlined the new model of collaboration between the club and the sports brand: “It is based on valuing the Barça brand and its sponsorship assets while accelerating the development of BLM (Barcelona Licencing and Merchandising) business. This will double the amount of the previous contract with an economic formula spanning the 14 years of the agreement.

He also detailed the economic improvements that FC Barcelona gains from the new contract, including a signing bonus, an increase in the annual sponsorship fee, bonuses for titles won, the elimination of financial penalties for adverse results on the pitch, and the revaluation of the agreement over its duration.

Finally, the treasurer emphasized that Barça will be able to develop its own product lines using the Barça brand and, through BLM, will regain control over retail and e-commerce operations worldwide.