Nike has been dressing Barcelona since 1998, but in the last renewal of their alliance, which took place in 2016, as EFE has learned, only a pre-contract was signed that at no time has been formalized as a contract, which since then has caused a subjective reading of the agreement by the two institutions and has brought some headaches.
In May 2016, the Barça club, then chaired by Josep Maria Bartomeu, announced a renewal with the North American multinational until 2028 despite the fact that the previous contract did not end until 2018. The figures are dazzling: Nike pays 105 million euros fixed to Barça per season and there are some variables that can reach up to 155.
In addition to continuing to make the Barça shirt, substitute clothing and training clothing, Nike also secured association rights and use of the Barça brand, and advertising and hospitality rights.
These general conditions were explained by the then vice president of the area of ​​marketing and communication of the Barça entity, Manel Arroyo, in the Assembly of Compromisarios in October 2016. The agreement was approved by 584 votes in favor, 10 against and 9 blank.
Thus, with that tranquility behind our backs, Barça and Nike agreed that the final, more detailed contract would be signed two years later, when the previous one expired.
According to sources familiar with the negotiation process, That 2016 agreement was a favor that Nike did then to Barça, who wanted money immediately to meet the objectives of the Bartomeu board. It was not the first that the multinational had made to Barça since 1998, since until then there had been a great relationship between the two entities.
But July 2018 came, the end of the term that had been agreed to formalize the contract, and it was not possible to close it due to some differences. The agreements reached in the pre-contract, some stipulated in a single line, such as the recovery by the club of the stores and retail sales (Barça Licensing & Merchandising) or the distribution of electronic commerce, became complicated when the time came for detail them.
Anyway, just before the pandemic there was a moment in which Barça and Nike considered formalizing, finally, the contract. But the arrival of the coronavirus brought everything down and the heads of the North American multinational months later already preferred to wait for the arrival of a new president in the Barça box, taking into account that in March 2021 there were elections.
The consequence of all this is that Until today, the different clauses of the pre-contract have been more open than usual to the subjective interpretations of Barça and Nike., something that has caused some tension between the two entities. Conceptually, this type of pre-contract is known as a ‘short form’ and it is a document that is valid pending the formalization of the ‘long / detailed contract’.
Barça sources have explained to EFE that During this summer, with Joan Laporta as president, there have been meetings with Nike to formalize the contract, with an interest from the Barça club to have more autonomy in some aspects of the relationship (beyond BLM), but which for now have not come to fruition.
Among other things, because the North American multinational is already doing well with the elasticity of this pre-contract at a time of cuts in the midst of a global pandemic. In fact, the same sources explain that the relationship between Nike and Barça right now “is not good” and that the Oregon brand considers that the figures it currently pays to the club are above the market price.
The desire of Nike, which is clear that the era of favors is over, is to reduce them. Asked about all these aspects, the representatives of the multinational have preferred not to make statements.
This context would have taken advantage of Puma to make an approach to the Barcelona club, as explained by the newspaper ARA. The German multinational is in a moment of global expansion and Barça, despite the difficult economic situation it is going through, continues to be one of the most desirable football clubs for brands.