LIKE KITTENS AND Christmas, most people are agreed that FC Barcelona is a good thing.
History, style of play, democratic ownership, model of youth development – whatever the reasons, there is a general sense of goodwill towards the club. Some might even view their Champions League tie against Manchester City as a clash of footballing institution against financially-doped impostor.
The glorious football of the Guardiola-era aside, the club hits the target off the pitch, especially for left-leaning observers. The association with Catalan independence and the perception of having been a bulwark against Francoism give it the sense of being a movement – more than a club, as the motto has it.
Lately, though, the sheen of righteousness has faded. Take the club’s famous jersey, once a metaphor for the purity of its ethos. The decision to accept the bounty of shirt sponsorship was inevitable. But the transition from unsullied blaugrana to the current Qatar Airways deal (via the humanitarian interlude of UNICEF) is akin to a lifelong teetotaller downing a bottle of absinthe.
The five-year deal with Qatar Sports Investments, signed in December 2010, allowed a commercial brand to replace the charitable Qatar Foundation in its third year. Qatar Airways is certainly commercial – it’s one of the fastest growing airlines in history, operating flights to over 140 cities worldwide using a fleet of modern aircraft.
But some of its labour practices are allegedly far from modern. In a 2013 report, the ITF, an international federation of transport unions, said Qatar Airways required female workers to obtain permission prior to getting married and reserved the right to fire women who become pregnant. After the story resurfaced in the Washington Post last week, the company’s CEO, Abdul Al Baker, dismissed the claims as “bullshit.”
However the ITF told the paper that Qatar Airways “has made no progress in its treatment of flight attendants.”
Whether “bullshit” or not, these charges pale in comparison with the human rights violations that the greater Qatari state has been accused of, particularly the well-publicised plight of migrant workers employed building infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup.
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu suggested in January that the club were “looking at alternatives to Qatar” when the current deal in ends in 2016, because of concerns over “social issues” in the Gulf state.
An altogether friendlier tone was struck earlier this month, however, when the possibility of Qatar Airways being granted naming rights over Camp Nou raised its head.
“It is possible that our name is added to Camp Nou,” said Al Baker.
“Barcelona have nothing but gratitude for Qatar Airways,” club vice-president Javier Faus enthused, not mentioning any ‘social issues’.
“There are zero problems with Qatar Airways, zero with Qatar and we definitely hope that this partnership lasts many, many, more years.”
Barcelona could argue that, at the time of their original deal with Qatar in 2010, the migrant workers were not quite such a cause célèbre. What was well known back then, among other concerns, was that homosexuality was, and remains, a crime in Qatar.
“They should refrain from any sexual activities,” said Sepp Blatter helpfully, following criticism of the FIFA’s awarding of the World Cup to the state, which came eight days before the QSI’s deal with Barca.
Barcelona joined forces with Qatar early in the stewardship of Sandro Rosell, who took over as club president from Joan Laporta in 2010. Some Barca observers gone so far as charging Rosell with destroying much of what made them so loved.
Accused of a long-held antipathy to their successful Johan Cruyff-inspired playing philosophy, Rosell resigned last year after irregularities in the signing of Neymar were exposed. Subsequently, Barcelona received a worldwide transfer ban because of breaches of rules governing the signing of under-18 players.
The flow of talent from the club’s La Masia youth academy has also dried up. The current first team squad contains only one player, third-choice goalkeeper Jordi Masip, who made his debut in the past four seasons.
In recent weeks, the eleven-match winning run inspired by their brilliant attacking triumvirate was a welcome relief from a series of unsettling stories: the possibility that Messi could leave; the star player’s reportedly fractious relationship with coach Luis Enrique; and the (possibly-related) sacking of sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta.
Bartomeu – Rosell’s unelected successor – has called an early presidential election in an effort to “lower the tension” that has afflicted Camp Nou.
The Qatar deal hints at the commercial reality any incoming Barca leadership will face, specifically the on-going arms race with Real Madrid (who last month signed a deal that could see their stadium renamed ‘The Abu Dhabi Santiago Bernabeu’). Barca trail Real by almost €65million in the latest Deloitte Football Money League and must find €600million to redevelop Camp Nou. Barcelona’s nobler instincts are likely to remain secondary.
“Qatar Airways and Barcelona have the same values,” said the airline’s CEO recently. As a statement to appeal to the football romantic, it’s not quite “Més que en club,” is it?
Tommy Martin presents live UEFA Champions League football for TV3.
