Barcelona have signed an agreement with Omnium Cultural, an institution dedicated to the promotion and propagation of the Catalan language and culture.
The agreement was announced by the club on Wednesday afternoon. It’s the second of its kind, with the two coming to a similar agreement in 2004 during Joan Laporta’s first spell in charge. This deal will run for four years in total.
Of the deal, Laporta told the club website that it was a good day for the club.
“Today is a special day. We are very clear that Omnium is a more than a cultural entity, Barca are more than a club and the what unites us both is the shared struggles we have had over time, but also extends to the present and will definitely have a future too.”
Under the agreement, Barcelona will support Omnium Cultural’s attempts to facilitate the growth of Catalan culture. In exchange Omnium Cultural will provide classes in Catalan and courses around Catalan culture to senior and youth players at the club.
Omnium Cultural have become a controversial body, after declaring in 2012 that they were to incorporate Catalan independence into their purview. Leader Jordi Cuixart was also arrested for his part in the illegal Catalan referendum of 2017.
Barcelona as a club became distinctly less Catalan in their projected identity under Josep Maria Bartomeu’s presidency, but with Laporta back in charge, it looks as if that could be about to swing back the other way. Depending on political affiliation, this could cause a stir amongst some Barcelona members.
With plenty of his mandate left though, it’s unlikely to cause much of a swing in opinion if the side is successful.
