Barcelona Football Club criticized for signing a $22 million sponsorship deal with crypto company ZKP

ChainCatcher news, according to Decrypt, Barcelona Football Club previously signed a global sponsorship agreement worth $22 million for three years with the crypto company Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP), making it the club's official crypto protocol partner. However, this move has sparked external criticism.

Former board member of the club, Xavier Vilajoana, stated that reaching an agreement with this crypto startup is a sign of "financial desperation," pointing out that there are "red flags" in the company's background, and called the decision "extremely worrying." ZKP is a little-known blockchain company registered in Samoa, which has been listed as a tax haven by the European Union. ZKP launched its social media accounts and whitepaper in early November this year, and at the time of the agreement, ZKP's account on X platform had only 33 followers. Its website does not provide detailed information about ownership and funding structure, and it is currently conducting an initial coin offering (ICO).

Barcelona Football Club clarified in an official statement that the club "has no association with the company's token," and that the existence or issuance of the token was never discussed during the sponsorship negotiations. The existence and issuance of the token are not part of the previously signed sponsorship agreement with the club.