Barcelona president Joan Laporta has defended his handling of their new Nike sponsorship deal, and the decision to sell the rights to commercialize 675 VIP seats to investors in Qatar and the UAE. The two deals were made with the intention of the club registering Dani Olmo and Pau Victor, but Laporta claims this would have happened anyway.
Laporta explained that Barcelona postponed signing the Nike deal in the summer to secure a better deal, saying the American sportswear brand had to hand in an extra €300 million just months later.
“We were hoping to sign Olmo to Nike. Unfortunately, during this period Christensen was injured. La Liga confirmed this and we took advantage of the situation to sign him. Thanks to Nike, we have a robust treasury that no one else has. We didn't sign with Nike this summer because we could have improved it, and that's what happened.”
“We are talking about a difference of €300 million. Now we will earn three times what we earned with the previous contract. When Ter Stegen was injured, the legal department interpreted that the savings on his salary would allow us to sign Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor. We fought for it, but they did not accept our claims. Then we moved on to Nike and La Liga, approved by the meeting.”
After explaining the timeline that led to Dani Olmo and Pau Victor de-signing on January 1, Laporta also elaborated on the VIP seats that were sold to get the club back within their salary cap, and without additional spending restrictions. on what they bring in.
“La Liga believed that the contract with Nike was not new, so we thought we could appeal, just like with Gavi, but the court did not agree with us. That is why we have activated a new product that we have been working on since February 2024, such as the commercialization of VIP seats. We gave away 675 and we still have some left. It is very attractive to investors. We have found two investors who can realize fair play.”
He confirmed that the VIP seats deal was worth around €100 million, and explained the origins of the investors, but did not reveal their names.
“The operation would have continued regardless of the salary cap. We are very happy to create a new product. Barca will receive 300 million euros and an additional 100 million euros for the right to commercialize these seats. They manage the seats with the associated risks and benefits. We didn't invent it, the product works in the US. We have adapted it to Barcelona, which is more advantageous than what American funds offer under other circumstances that do not affect fair play.”
“We have adjusted it to allow fair play. There is an investor from Qatar, who has invested 30 million euros in the investment accredited by La Liga. The other comes from the United Arab Emirates, €70 million. The €40 million had to be accredited and did not arrive until December 31 because the bank transfer did not arrive. The rule doesn't say the money has to be accredited, but La Liga required it. Some of it couldn't be credited until the 3rd, but everything was presented in time and form.
Laporta has been accused in the past of mortgaging Barcelona's future with contracts that sell future assets, affecting their longer-term income. The Blaugrana president has defended the accusation by citing the “critical” financial situation at the club when he returned to power.