After 16 years of displaying the UNICEF logo on their shirts, Barcelona will replace the UN children’s foundation next season. They have decided to go in a different direction by replacing the children’s foundation with another UN charity.
Barcelona took a defiant stand against the rise of corporate sponsorship in 2006 when they incorporated UNICEF onto their shirts instead of a sponsor. That move has since become minimised by their actions further down the line.
The first move away from their stance took place in 2010, when the club decided it would bear the name of sponsor on their shirts for the very first time, signing a controversial agreement in 2010 with Qatar Foundation.
That meant the UNICEF logo was relegated to the back of the shirts, under the player’s number. That is where the new charity will have their logo too. The club have already agreed that Spotify will appear on the front of their shirts for next season.
Joan Laporta was at the helm when Barcelona first put UNICEF on their shirt and has taken the decision to replace them with another charity ACNUR-UNHCR, the UN foundation for refugees. With the global refugee crisis spiralling out of control – ACNUR say there are currently 82.4 million refugees – Laporta clearly wanted to ensure the club was part of the effort to help.
The agreement will last for the next four seasons. According to Mundo Deportivo, the club will provide €400,000 per season in cash for the charity, while also donating €100,000 in materials. The money will be donated to four different projects across four different continents.
