FC Barcelona and Etisalat have signed an extension to the existing sponsorship agreement that makes Etisalat Afghanistan and Etisalat Nigeria official international partners of Barça. Sandro Rosell is highly appreciative of this partnership.
Two years of successful sponsorship
Etisalat has successfully begun its sponsorship of FC Barcelona in the UAE with a series of high
level advertising and promotional campaigns, some of which include exclusive offers: - a specially
designed SIM package, a trademarked USB modem, news updates, organization of training sessions for
young soccer players in the UAE and even the organization of various competitions to be able to
watch FC Barcelona play in Spain.
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."