The recent partnership between FC Barcelona and the blockchain startup Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP) has ignited significant criticism and concern, casting a shadow over the club’s financial strategy and its duty of care towards its global fanbase. The deal, announced in mid-November 2025, has been questioned due to the startup’s opaque nature and its rapid move to issue a new token shortly after the sponsorship was revealed.
A Partnership Shrouded in Questions
The three-year agreement, which names ZKP as the club’s official blockchain technology partner, was met with immediate skepticism. The startup was virtually unknown, with a minimal digital footprint—its X account had only a few dozen followers at the time of the announcement. Further scrutiny revealed that the company is registered in Samoa, a territory considered a tax haven by the European Union, which raised immediate red flags about transparency.
Complicating matters, ZKP’s social media account follows only three entities: FC Barcelona, Bitcoin, and the controversial influencer Andrew Tate. Tate, who has publicly promoted ZKP, is a self-described misogynist and faces serious criminal charges in Romania, including human trafficking and rape. This association has profoundly damaged the credibility of the partnership and sparked outrage among supporters.
The situation intensified when, within a week of the sponsorship announcement, ZKP launched an auction for 200 million tokens. This rapid move into token issuance created a clear risk that fans might believe the club endorsed the digital asset, potentially exposing them to a highly speculative and unregulated financial product.
A Sign of Financial Desperation?
For many observers, this controversial deal cannot be separated from FC Barcelona’s well-documented financial troubles. The club is grappling with a net debt of €469 million and an additional €900 million in loans related to its stadium redevelopment. This has led to a desperate search for new revenue streams.
Former board director Xavier Vilajoana, a potential future presidential candidate, labeled the move a sign of “desperation”, questioning the due diligence performed by the current leadership of President Joan Laporta. Martin Calladine, author of a book on football and cryptocurrency, described the lack of information about ZKP as “deeply worrying”. This partnership follows other failed Barça ventures into digital assets, including a €141 million loss related to its Barça Vision web3 subsidiary.
A Partnership Shrouded in Questions
The growing backlash forced FC Barcelona to issue a public statement attempting to limit the reputational damage. The club explicitly declared it had “no connection whatsoever” to the ZKP token, no responsibility for its issuance, and does not use the associated technology.
However, this clarification did little to address the core concerns. While the club distanced itself from the token, it remained silent on its association with Andrew Tate and the fundamental questions about ZKP’s corporate structure. For a club of Barcelona’s stature, this episode represents a significant reputational misstep. It highlights the perils of leveraging a global brand to legitimize a partner that does not meet expected standards of transparency, potentially misleading its loyal supporters in the process.
