The stars have never been further from aligned for FC Barcelona. While the club are on the verge of bankruptcy, a recent report details that the Blaugrana have lost upwards of €25 million from their sponsorship deal with Rakuten.
The main reason behind the loss is that of the infamous Leo Messi saga that happened shortly before the season kicked off.
According to a report published by Spanish media outlet Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona receive roughly €55 million per season from their main sponsors in Rakuten. Their partnership has been on since 2017 and was initially a four-year deal.
The contract with the Japanese company was extended till 2022 by Ex-president Josep Maria Bartomeu before he resigned from his post.
Furthermore, this decision is not reviewable by whoever manages to win the Barcelona presidential elections that are due to be held next year.
Sports marketing expert Ajram had this to say about the sponsorship deal between Barcelona and Rakuten:
“Money is being reduced from companies everywhere but this reduction to €30m is less to do with Rakuten’s financial position but the uncertainty on Messi’s future.
“I am not sure if the agreement is now worth as much as €30m – the first agreement was signed when Messi played with Luis Suarez and Neymar, with the huge commercial benefits that brought – now two have gone and the other one wants out.
“People think of Barcelona through Messi and the uncertainty over his future means no sponsorship will want to commit to a long-term deal with the club.”
In addition to Rakuten reducing their sponsorship amount to €30 million this season, the company will have to make do with reduced visibility and services at Camp Nou due to their reluctance to support the club.
Barcelona have been involved in a terrible financial crisis as of late, and the reduction of income from sponsorship deals will only make it harder for the club to save themselves in this dire situation.
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