26.11.2008 13:54
Barça shows solidarity at Soccerex 2008
www.fcbarcelona.cat
The social corporate body of FC Barcelona, through the various commitments to help the under-privileged, have made their presence felt at the successful soccer fair in South Africa, where the next World Cup Finals will be held.
Barça have been central to things at the Soccerex 2008 fair in Gauteng, an event heralded as one of
the most important in the football calendar, with their stand that spreads the idea of FC Barcelona
as more than a club around the world with the corporate social responsibilities to help the most
disadvantaged. The fair goes on for four days and will see more than 4,000 delegates from 95
countries visit.
Pioneering club
In a conference entitled ‘FC Barcelona: New marketing for a new era’, the head of
that area of the club, Lander Unzueta, state that Barça wanted to continue to be the pioneering
club in the matter as it’s global alliance showed, through the Fundación FC Barcelona, with
IUnicef and other global social institutions like Acnhur and Unesco.
Malaria No More
The Blaugrana were joined by
another non-profit organisation as Malaria No More, the group that already collaborated with Barça
earlier this year when the first team toured the United States and helped the initiative
‘More than a club: a shot against malaria’. Unzueta gave his presentation at Soccerex
2008 along with Alex Wilson, the marketing director of Malaria No More, and stated that FC
Barcelona are trying to bring to public attention the struggle against the epidemic.
Other clubs present
In fact, FC Barcelona have been the only club to have
participated to the event dedicated to social corporate responsibility at the fair, despite clubs
such as Manchester United, Liverpool and AC Milan all being present. Other groups that took part
had special social aims, such as the Special Olmypics or Unicef, which shows that “FC
Barcelona are a unique club in that respect”, Unzueta said.
The director of the commercial department believes that the social corporate responsibility
of Barça is one of the fundamental tools that moves the machinery of the club, along with the
success of the sports teams and commercial side that generates income. Each one of those things
ensures that the club remains at the forefront of the game.