Barcelona president Joan Laporta has defended the use of a mediator, reportedly Darren Dein, in the negotiations over their new kit sponsorship deal with Nike. Dein reportedly earned €50 million from the deal.
Many have wondered why Barcelona needed a mediator to extend a deal with Nike, with whom they were already doing business.
“The contract with Nike had to be changed. There were penalties if we didn't win, we didn't have many things. It was a contract that, when I left here in 2010, was very similar to the amounts when it arrived in 2021. After 11 years. Moreover, with fines. I told the CEO it needed to be changed. That it would be done in six months and that it was impossible. It was an eyesore. I knew Nike and I knew a strategy. It had to be changed. I am satisfied. I put another group of people to negotiate, with a legal strategy.”
In terms of Dein's role, Laporta reasoned that this was necessary to allow Barcelona to operate with freedom in their negotiations and get a better deal. He did not mention Dein by name.
“There was mistrust between the parties. Thanks to a mediator (Dein) that we had agreed with Nike, we have brought the positions closer together. We reached a certain agreement in the summer to recover some money that Nike owed us, we were able to go to the market to look for other brands and we dropped the lawsuits against the multinational. With the mediator we have regained trust.”
“We have the best sportswear contract in the world. We share the mediator's fees between the multinational and Barça.”
Laporta has also claimed that the Nike deal is the best in the world and will earn the club three times what they previously made from their sponsorship deal. No details have been officially revealed about the contract, other than the fact that it will run until 2038 and will cost around €1.7 billion in total, but this has not been confirmed by the club.
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