Nike has outfitted Barcelona since 1998, but they have been doing so without a contract since 2016, according to Marca. Thus, among other football news, the two brands, Nike and Barcelona are united only by an agreement, not a contract.
There are allegedly rising tensions within the Nike and Barcelona partnership due to the lack of any legitimate, on-paper deal.
This lack of a contract was initially owing to several disagreements that the Catalan club and the footwear brand experienced.
However, the pandemic and the need to elect a new president at Camp Nou has only further complicated matters now. (Joan Laporta replaced Josep Maria Bartomeu, after the latter lost a vote of confidence as Barcelona president.)
Nike and Barcelona Are United Only by an Agreement
In 2016, then-president Josep Maria Bartomeu announced that Barcelona and Nike had officially renewed their partnership agreement until 2028.
The agreement called for the Catalan club to receive a fixed sum of €105 million per season. And this sum, in turn, could rise to €155 million with variables.
In addition to a kit deal, Barcelona granted Nike the right of association and the use of the Barcelona brand. They also gave Nike advertising and hospitality rights with the Barcelona name.
This agreement that Bartomeu declared was supposed to formally take effect when the current agreement expired in 2018.
However, when time came to formalize the actual contract, many complications arose between the two parties.
The coronavirus pandemic added to the confusion, as it did not help matters with Barcelona’s infamous mismanagement at the time.
The lull after Bartomeu resigned in disgrace and the long wait for his successor Joan Laporta’s appointment also complicated things.
Finally, in a last-ditch effort, Nike and Joan Laporta did conduct meetings this summer, but nothing came of these discussions.
