The Catalan club announced this partnership in November, but decided to end it around six weeks later.
The company in question, ZKP, was presented as the “global blockchain partner” of FC Barcelona, ahead of the launch of a new cryptocurrency. The acronym ZKP stands for “Zero Knowledge Proof”, a theory according to which one can convince people of something without having any information other than that provided by the company, without having to assert the truth of the idea.
Faced with the controversy sparked by this contract, FC Barcelona reacted by terminating it. The Catalan club published the following press release.
Regarding the recent information relating to Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP), with which FC Barcelona had concluded a sponsorship agreement making this company an official partner of the Club’s cryptographic protocol, FC Barcelona informs that:
Faced with the controversy sparked by this contract, FC Barcelona reacted by terminating it
Following a violation of the agreed contractual conditions and after verifications and analyzes carried out by the Club’s Compliance and Legal departments, FC Barcelona has confirmed the existence of actions not in compliance with the terms and conditions of the signed sponsorship agreement. As a result, FC Barcelona terminated the said contract.
The Club reaffirms that it has no link with the tokens associated with this company, nor any responsibility or involvement in their issuance or management, and that these elements were not provided for in the signed agreement.
FC Barcelona reaffirms its commitment to transparency, the protection of its institutional reputation and strict compliance with the agreements it enters into. »
Sport has confirmed that links between ZKP and far-right influencer Tate motivated FC Barcelona’s decision.
Why Andrew Tate is harming FC Barcelona’s reputation
In recent years, FC Barcelona has made a point of upholding certain “values”, which is in direct contradiction to Tate’s ethics. This British citizen does not believe in equality between women and men and has been charged with human trafficking, child trafficking, rape and sexual relations with a minor in Romania. In his home country of the United Kingdom, he also faces 21 counts of rape, battery and human trafficking.
It is currently unknown whether there is a financial link between Tate and ZKP, but this blockchain company relayed a tweet from Tate on its Twitter/X account, pinning it. Needless to say, FC Barcelona came under heavy criticism for frequenting the same circles as Tate.
