A brand new crypto partnership meant to regular FC Barcelona’s funds has as an alternative change into a public headache inside days.
FC Barcelona is dealing with rising criticism after confirming in mid-November {that a} Samoa-based firm, Zero-Data Proof (ZKP), would act because the membership’s “Official Cryptographic Protocol Accomplice.”
However by November 26, the membership moved to distance itself from a digital token launched by the sponsor, insisting it had “no connection in any respect” to the asset.
The controversy broke in Barcelona over the previous 24 to 48 hours as followers and observers questioned who controls ZKP and why the membership permitted the association.
World partnership with @ZKPofficial, new Official Blockchain Know-how Accomplice of FC Barcelona. #BarçaxZKP
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) November 14, 2025
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Did Barcelona Formally Deny Any Hyperlink To ZKP’s Token?
Barcelona stated the settlement by no means concerned any token exercise and added that it could present updates as soon as it obtained “conclusive data.”
The partnership was introduced on November 14 with a three-year time period working by means of 2028 and was described as a knowledge privateness and safety challenge moderately than a token or fan-coin deal.
Quickly after, ZKP started selling a token sale, resulting in claims on-line that the membership was not directly endorsing an untested providing.
In response, Barcelona issued a late-night assertion on November 26 setting out three clear factors: it has no hyperlinks to ZKP’s token, holds no accountability for its creation or management, and confirmed that neither the token nor the expertise behind it was included within the sponsorship settlement.
Criticism has grown from soccer watchdogs and from inside Barcelona’s personal circle.
Martin Calladine, who has written about crypto in soccer, stated the shortage of readability round ZKP is “deeply regarding” and warned that followers may very well be pushed towards tokens that will find yourself value nothing.
Former Barcelona director Xavier Vilajoana has additionally requested that the membership clarify the way it vetted the deal initially.
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What Does Barcelona Imply By Promising “Transparency”?
ZKP describes itself as a privacy-focused, decentralised challenge. However key particulars stay unclear.
Reporting over the previous day exhibits the corporate is registered in Samoa and had earlier listed “Braxova Ltd” in its phrases earlier than quietly eradicating the reference.
The agency additionally claimed main monetary backing and moved shortly right into a token sale, including to doubts about who is de facto in cost and who’s accountable.
Barcelona’s response marks its clearest try to date to guard its title whereas maintaining the sponsorship settlement in place.
The membership’s assertion stops in need of any speak of suspension or cancellation. As a substitute, it guarantees “transparency” and says extra data will observe.
The stance highlights a difficult actuality for Barcelona. The membership remains to be carrying a big quantity of debt. Latest studies point out that its internet liabilities exceed the a whole bunch of hundreds of thousands of euros, along with massive loans tied to the stadium rebuild. That context explains why recent industrial income issues a lot.
The row additionally evokes blended reminiscences of Barça’s previous in cryptocurrency. In 2021, the membership withdrew from an NFT take care of Ownix after an individual related to the challenge was arrested. The membership stated it acted to guard its status.
A yr later, FC Barcelona signed a separate three-season partnership with the trade WhiteBIT, working by means of June 2025.
The deal was pitched as a part of a wider push into digital ventures. Collectively, these episodes illustrate the attract of latest sponsors and the dangers related to partnering with younger or unproven entities.
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The submit Barcelona Crypto Nightmare: How a Large Cash Sponsorship Turned a Large Cash Legal responsibility appeared first on 99Bitcoins.
