Barcelona has agreed a deal for the Tourist Council of the Democratic Republic of Congo to appear as a new shirt sponsor from this season. The deal will generate extra money in the treasury, despite concern about the record of the government with human rights.
The Blaugrana have been desperately looking for income in the last three years to continue to finance their title challenges, which leads to the sale of 49.5% of Barca Vision, 25% of their TV rights for La Liga in the next 25 years, and the most recently, a 30-year lease on 475 seats. They also negotiated their deal with kits sponsor Nike and brought in Spotify as their main shirt sponsor and at the same time sold the name rights for Camp Nou.
As reported by MD and Sport, Barcelona has reached an agreement with the Tourist Council of the Democratic Republic of Congo for the country to appear on their shirthuls. The deal, with negotiations, also confirmed by Jordi Blanco from ESPN, would be worth € 10 million per season over the course of three years.
Barcelona would wear the words 'DRC, the heart of Africa' on their shirt. The Barca Foundation would also work on humanitarian projects with the DRC, and there would also be an attempt to collaborate with schools. At some point, the DRC also wants to organize a friendly with Barcelona that plays in the country.
The will of AC Milan and as Monaco similarities with the DRC are also concluded, but there are concerns about the human rights situation in the DRC. Rebel groups, funded by neighboring Rwanda, continue to fight with government forces, according to Amnesty International. It is said that government forces have carried out 250 extrajudicial executions in recent months.
There are also concerns about the legal system, and currently the government continues proponents of LGBTQ+ rights, while the marriage of the same sex is criminalized -a cause that Barcelona is openly supported.