With drained finances and ever-growing competition from the foreign leagues, Barcelona are in the hunt for creative solutions as they seek to maximize the institution’s massive brand.
A trip to Qatar last week by a group from FC Barcelona, led by the president Joan Laporta including managers from the Sports Area, generated a lot of discussions. They met with Qatari businesspeople from the Baladi Holding in the nation’s capital, Doha.
According to the Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, the meeting engendered the possibility of the creation of an FC Barcelona team in the Arab nation as a sort of franchise, with the goal of luring players to other major European teams in the future.
Given how widely acclaimed the Catalans are internationally, a huge influx of income would enable the side to make use of their image. For now, it is being reported that Laporta is analyzing the details of the proposal handed by the Qataris. However, the option, at the moment, is merely a proposal.
Regarding a potential franchise in Qatar, it would be comparable to New York City FC, a franchise owned by Manchester City through the City Group. It was formed in 2013 by City Football Group and Yankee Global Enterprises.
Their brand was elevated by the inclusion of star players entering the latter stages of their careers including David Villa, Andrea Pirlo, and Frank Lampard.
The Blaugranes in Qatar could benefit from a similar situation as a boost in image and finances would ultimately follow. However, time will tell if the proposal is feasible enough to execute.
