In his address to Barcelona's supporters at the club's General Assembly, President Josep Maria Bartomeu "sought to assure the Catalan club's faithful that the relationship with current shirt sponsors, Qatar Airways, has not come to an end," according to MARCA. He said, "We have agreed to continue our negotiations with Qatar Airways. We now have a bit more time. The dialogue with Qatar is ongoing, and there is a clear willingness from both sides. We're happy with the deal that has been in place for the last few years. The negotiations will continue, as we seek to reach the agreement which we are both deserving of. Please don't worry, because we certainly are not" (MARCA, 10/25). MARCA reported in a separate piece the budget for the '15-16 season, presented by Barcelona's board, "has been met with majority approval by the club's members." Some 655 of the delegates voted in favor, while just 54 voted against and 49 members left their ballots blank. The budget forecasts that the club will generate a 4% increase in income, which, if achieved, would represent an all-time high of €633M ($704M) (MARCA, 10/25).
FIGHTING WORDS: MARCA reported in a separate piece Barcelona is "on the warpath" in relation to the fine UEFA has given the club because of the presence of Catalan flags during the Champions League game against Bayer Leverkusen at the Camp Nou. Bartomeu said, "The time has come to say enough is enough. UEFA's sanction is an attack on our members' freedom of expression and is based on a rule that is absurd and an anachronism in this day and age. They have turned what is an expression of personal feelings into a political statement. UEFA have got themselves into a mess by punishing something that is not a crime in Spain. The senyera is not outlawed anywhere." Bartomeu also revealed that the club did not appeal against the previous sanction after Catalan flags were waved at the Champions League final in Berlin because the board "wanted to try to resolve matters with UEFA diplomatically." Now the club will be defending itself "via every available legal avenue" (MARCA, 10/25).
