The Camp Nou was the scene for the extension to the sponsorship agreement between FC Barcelona and the Etisalat group that makes the companies operating in Afghanistan and Nigeria into international official partners of the club.

President Sandro Rosell hosted a ceremony that was attended by Mohamed Omran, Etisalat Group Chairman, Saeed al-Hamlin, head of Etisalat Afghanistan, Steven Evans, head of Etisalat Nigeria, as well as senior executives of the Telecommunications Group and its operating companies, who are in Barcelona attending the Mobile World Congress.

Barça satisfaction

Sandro Rosell was very happy about continuing ties with Etisalat and their overseas delegations. "FC Barcelona is one of the leading football teams in the world and we are privileged to have faithful and active supporters. This collaboration with Etisalat will help our fans in Africa and Asia to maintain contact with the club and allow them to share their enthusiasm for our success." Finally, the President thanked the Etisalat group for its continued support for the club.

Planned expansion

The signing represents the development of the four-year agreement signed in 2009 for 12 million euros. Essa Al Haddad, Chief Marketing Officer of the Etisalat group, explained that this agreement reflects the club’s desire to expand: "When we set up this unique strategic agreement with FC Barcelona, our plan was to expand the partnership to our operating companies to add value to customers beyond our reach. The agreement we have now is a remarkable milestone in achieving this initial plan and we are pleased to provide our customers in Nigeria and Afghanistan with the opportunity to extend their support to the most famous football team in the world at this time."