Barcelona and Turkish appliance manufacturer Beko announced a four-year deal in which Beko's logo will appear on the sleeve of the new Barcelona jersey and training kit. Beko will become the first commercial brand featured on the sleeve of the Barcelona jersey (Barcelona). In Barcelona, Sergi Solé reported Beko will "be Barcelona's third sponsor after Nike and Qatar Airways." Barcelona Economic VP Javier Faus "did not reveal the financial details" of the deal due to Barcelona "respecting the wishes of its new 'premium partner.'" The deal "could be worth approximately" €10M ($13.7M). Beko fills the space left by TV3 after the '12-13 season. Faus added that the club has "closed the chapter of shirt sponsorships." Faus also pointed out Barcelona's strategic plan, "which includes international marketing partnerships in the Middle East, U.S. and Asia" (MUNDO DEPORTIVO, 6/30). REUTERS' Iain Rogers reported Barcelona's "other partners include" carmaker Audi, chipmaker Intel Corp and Coca-Cola (REUTERS, 6/30).
OFFSEASON PLANS OUTLINED: Solé reported in a separate piece Faus assured that "the club is prepared to meet the requests of its coaches to strengthen the first team." Faus: "Luckily, since three years ago, Barcelona has been earning money, it has a very significant positive EBITDA, it has reduced the debt substantially and it is stronger economically." He added that the club will announce its '13-14 financial results later this month. Faus said, "Around July 20 we will have the exact photo of Barça and then we will know the economic situation of the club and the debt, which was around €430 million when this exec board arrived to this club" (MUNDO DEPORTIVO, 6/30).
