FCBARCELONA.CAT

02.06.2010 18:08

UNICEF pays tribute to Joan Laporta and Barça

Marc Parramon (enviat especial)

UNICEF has publicly thanked FC Barcelona, represented by President Joan Laporta, for the Club’s charitable work. At a ceremony in Madrid, Mr Laporta expressed his wish that the current deal would be extended.

Club president Joan Laporta and FCB Foundation director general Marta Segú, attended a UNICEF event in Madrid on Wednesday at which the work of the Club in aid of underprivileged children was acknowledged. The ceremony, which was private, was held at the headquarters of UNICEF in Spain.

UNICEF thanks Barca

Consuelo Crespo, president of UNICEF Spain, and Philip O'Brien, director of the UNICEF office in Europe, thanked both the Club and the Foundation for their efforts and their “permanent availability for the alliance”. Looking back over the four years of the collaboration, Mr O'Brien said: “The relationship between the two organizations has grown over the years and has helped the ‘more than a club’ get closer to the world”.

A wish to prolong the agreement

Joan Laporta, in turn, praised the work of UNICEF, describing it as “the best organization in the world for children” and expressing his wish that the agreement should “continue beyond 2011”, when the current sponsorship deal is set to expire. “Having UNICEF on our shirts is like winning the Champions League”, Mr Laporta told the assembled guests and attributed the alliance to “the desire of the Club to innovate and set a good example”.