The following is the full text of an open letter published by John F. laporta in various media on Thursday.
"Dear followers of Barcelona,
The purpose of this letter is to tell you why we must reach an agreement with UNICEF in new york today. In this five-year contract, it is stipulated that Barcelona football team will wear jerseys marked with UNICEF logo this season. FC Barcelona 1 will play their first Champions League match of the season in Camp Nou next Tuesday, against Bulgarian Sofia levski.
At the general meeting of shareholders held in August 2003, the board of directors was authorized to seek advertising sponsorship for Barcelona football team's chest jerseys. At that time, the financial situation faced by the club forced us to explore any possibility of increasing income.
Fortunately, thanks to our collective efforts and good economic policies in recent years, our success in sports has restored everyone's confidence. At present, there is no such urgent financial pressure as before to force us to advertise on the chest of jerseys.
Based on this situation, a few months ago, the board of directors began to explore the best way to promote Barcelona jerseys. The theme of the discussion coincides with the motto of the Barcelona Club-United Nations Club of Meske-not just a club-that is, "globalization". The final conclusion is that we must use our most precious property-our jerseys-to achieve our brilliant career.
Barcelona is not just a sports club in Catalonia. It is the most representative sports social organization in China and has always been the leader of this team. There are many reasons why people in other parts of Spain regard Barcelona not only as a club, but also as a spokesman for freedom and civil rights.
Football is becoming more and more global now. Barcelona's fan base has expanded all over the world, and new members from outside Catalonia and Spain join the club every day. We must actively respond to this growing wave of globalization. This is both our need and our responsibility. We believe that the most consistent way to adhere to this concept is to become a global "club", not just a sports club.
The motto of the club "I am a club" is an open definition. It means flexible and changeable. Perhaps, it is this rich connotation that explains the complex functions of Barcelona Club. Barcelona performs for the audience every Sunday and Wednesday, and its heart throbs for those who pay attention to it every day. Barcelona is now a global club. Now, we want to globalize a Barcelona that benefits everyone, a Barcelona that is civilized, friendly and humane.
We believe that the best way is to reach an agreement with UNICEF, which was set up by the United Nations to care about children's welfare. Initially, it will donate 0.7% of the annual income of Barcelona Club, and at the same time strongly support the UN Millennium Development Goals. Secondly, we intend to donate 6.5438+0.5 million euros to UNICEF charities in the next five years, and put the icon of UNICEF on the jersey of the club football team. We are convinced that this is a wise decision, which will put Barcelona in a unique position.
We are well aware of the challenge this decision brings us. For "more than one club", we need to unite and work together. Every day, every player, every coach, every coach, every member and every follower-we all play a role in it. But we have no doubt that we can do this, and we also believe that through this huge project, Barcelona can truly become a club with profound influence in the world.
We hope everyone can be as excited about the agreement as we are, and we hope everyone will feel the same way. This will be our biggest challenge in the next few years. Thank you for your support and trust. "
John laporta.
President of Barcelona club