However, Laporta has been open to the option of eventually accepting sponsorship from a cryptocurrency company for his sleeve because, unlike the deal with Spotify, he does not see it as a strategic operation for the club This fact has led to much progress being made in negotiations with WhiteBIT, a cryptocurrency exchange company created in Ukraine (Barça still maintains a sponsorship with the Russian company 1xBET) which offers around 20 million euros per year for an asset that Beko had for 9 million before the start of the coronavirus pandemic. But even the attractive number has not ended the reluctance that still exists within the club, as ARA has been able to learn, and this is causing the agreement to not be closed.
Several experts in the world of cryptocurrencies consulted by this newspaper agree that WhiteBIT is far from a reference company in the sector, a fact that means that the possible risks of sponsorship are increased even more. “These types of companies are scary with an underlying that has no guarantee or solvency in the market”, explains one of them. “There are doubts in the club about whether or not to put a cryptocurrency in the kit. It is very risky reputationally”, says, for his part, a source close to the negotiations, who adds that there have already started to be problems with the agreements that several cryptocurrency companies have with some European football clubs, in which have come in droves in recent times. In fact, they have occupied much of the space left free by the betting houses, banned by decree in Spain for more than a year.
The case of Inter Milan
Inter Milan and Roma, for example, are experiencing worrying situations because of a sponsor belonging to the cryptocurrency sector, DigitalBits. This company based in the United States is not meeting the payment terms signed in the sponsorship contract with the entity blue-black which was made official less than a year ago, in September 2021, which led to the brand being worn last season on the left sleeve of Inter Milan. Now, taking into account the problem, the Lombardy club is considering removing the DigitalBits logo from the kit and even suing the company. Another Serie A club, José Mourinho’s Roma, which has had DigitalBits as its main sponsor since last summer, is also watching with concern.
Half of sponsors
In the event that, despite the reluctance of Laporta’s management, the negotiations with WhiteBIT end up being fruitful, the Ukrainian company would become Barça’s 24th sponsor. The Barcelona club now has almost half as many sponsors as in 2019, when it reached a record number of 42. In this sense, the next challenge of the commercial department, headed since the spring by Sergi Ricart, will be to increase the list of global and regional sponsors. Without a doubt, improving Barça’s image on the pitch will be a great ally in achieving this. Alliances with Socios.com and Orpheus Media, which will control half of Barça Studios, can also help.
