Barca break bank with shirt deal

BARCELONA have announced the most lucrative shirt sponsorship deal in football history – a €150 million tie-up with the Qatar Foundation.

The Catalan giants have previously refused shirt deals and, for the past five years, have instead paid international children’s charity Unicef to carry their logo.

But the club’s current sizeable debt means they are no longer in a position to turn down valuable income and their link-up with the Qatar Foundation, worth €30 million a year from next season through to 2016, could free up some funds for coach Pep Guardiola.

Manchester United and Real Madrid both earn around €24m a year for their rights, while Bayern Munich make closer to €27m.

The Qatar Foundation is a non-profit organisation which has projects focusing on education, scientific research and community development.

A summer audit into Barcelona’s finances revealed debts of €442m following a loss of more than €77m last season.