- BARCELONA, Spain: Barcelona’s general assembly has ratified the club’s lucrative shirt sponsorship deal with the Qatar Foundation.
The team shirt already bears the Qatar Foundation logo this season, but the club’s members have now given their approval to continue the five-year deal that the European champions say will bring in €171 million ($230 million).
The club’s executive board sees the deal as key to balancing the books for a club that lost €9 million ($12.7 million) last season and has a debt of €369 million ($499 million).
The club members have also voted to ban smoking at Camp Nou stadium and given the green light for the club to study the creation of a special section for its most passionate supporters.

