FC Barcelona has faced criticism for reaching a $22 million sponsorship protocol with the encryption company ZKP.

PANews, November 29, reports that FC Barcelona has signed a global sponsorship protocol worth $22 million for three years with the encryption company Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP), becoming the club's official encryption protocol partner. However, this move has sparked criticism from the outside. Xavier Vilajoana, a former board member of the club, stated that reaching an agreement with this encryption startup is a financially “desperate” move, with “danger signals” present in the company’s background, and called the decision “extremely concerning.” ZKP is a little-known blockchain company registered in Samoa, which the EU has listed as a tax haven. ZKP launched its social media accounts and white paper in early November this year, and at the time of the agreement, ZKP had only 33 followers on its account on the X platform. Its website does not provide detailed information about ownership and financing structure, and it is currently undergoing an initial coin offering (ICO). FC Barcelona clarified in an official statement that the club “has no association with the company's token” and that the club never discussed the existence or issuance of the token during the sponsorship negotiations. The existence and issuance of the token are not part of the sponsorship agreement previously signed with the club.