Barca sign huge shirt sponsor deal with Qatar

Barcelona have signed a 165 million euros (218 million dollars) shirt sponsorship deal with the non-profit Qatar Foundation, the Catalan club announced on Friday.

The total value of the five-and-a-half year deal could rise to 170 million euros, Barca said in a statement.

The club will get 15 million euros for the second half of this season, 30 million euros for each of the following five seasons, and up to five million in bonuses for titles won.

Barca will place the Qatar Foundation on their shirts alongside the existing logo for UN children’s agency UNICEF, which they have sported for the five years while forgoing the riches of commercial sponsors.

Qatar, the tiny energy-rich Gulf Arab country, was picked by FIFA on December 2 to host the 2022 World Cup.

The Qatar Foundation was set up in 1995 by the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, to foster education, scientific research and community development in Qatar, the Middle East and beyond.

Despite success on the field, Barcelona are struggling financially.

The club posted a loss of 79.6 million euros last season — their first in seven years — and they have debts of 442 million euros.