Qatar Airways to appear on Barça shirt from 2013/14 season

[Theconomist]

Which is why people are sent to prison for life here when expressing their views... That must be it. It should also explain why the country is given a negative rating by reporters without borders, while Qatar is given a healthy +46.

http://en.rsf.org/report-qatar,162.html
http://en.rsf.org/press-freedom-index-2011-2012,1043.html

As to the Assange trial... I don't see why police wouldn't talk to someone who's been accused of rape... If they weren't to do that, it'd be negligence on their part, and they'd be seen as incompetent (well, they already are).

And I do agree that Autocracy doesn't have to be a bad thing, but it generally turns out that way. Especially when the people are not allowed to speak their word.

But then again, you were probably just going for cheap points, weren't you?

You're saying Barcelona shouldn't have signed with Qatar Foundation/Airways because the country is a dictatorship.

Again, you have absolutely no idea about how things really are inQatar. Most articles about it are blatant sensationalism from journalists that grab any opportunity to sell papers.

I'm not saying Qatar is a paradise, what I am saying is grab a hold of reality and take it for a ride; North Korea would sponsor Barca if they payed well enough. ''Més que un club'' is very misinterpreted by some people

 

[Deco 20]

In fact I never did... I just joked about it

But yes, if it were up to me I wouldn't do it. Not just because of something as vain as wanting to take the moral high ground, however.

 

[La Furia]

Autocracy=bad
Democracy=good

is such a western point of view to have.
Any form of government should have the maximisation of the population's happyness as a goal, wether that's achieved by all the people voting or one man ruling with an iron fist is irrelevant.

Besides I doubt you know much about Qatar to really judge.
The press is freer than in many western countries, even yours. i.e Julian Assange

Not going to enter a political debate but trying to be funny without having anything to support your claims is stupid.

The problem with countries like Qatar is that their high standard of living is a direct result of an unsustainable development model based on oil exploitation, which is slowly destroying the planet.

While I compeletely agree that the western ethnocentric belief that liberal democracy solves all problems and is an absolute good, there's nothing to celebrate about an autocratic monarchy that contributes to the violence and suffering plaguing the middle east as long as its good for its own control, just because they are able to provide their own citizens with all the bread and circuses they desire.

Compared to some in the region like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Israel, Iran and Egypt, Qatar is a paradise, sure, but that doesn't justify the governments blatant opportunism. And there's a conflict of interest for Barca when the club exploits Catalan nationalist sentiment on one hand and then sells itself to the tourism board of dictatorships on the other, beyond the moral high ground there's other questions.

 

[Flavia]

barcastuff
Faus (vice-president): "Barcelona will not have a sponsor on their shirt starting 2016 except if assembly decides to make a new contract."

Faus (vice-president): "Many big sponsors now are airlines or betting companies. We prefer an airline over a betting company" [via sport360]

 

[FCBarca]

2016, I finally can buy a kit, again??

 

[Galning]

Isn't our sponsordeal with Qatar longer than 2016? If so, why would they accept to not appear on the shirt anymore?

 

[Deco 20]

Isn't our sponsordeal with Qatar longer than 2016? If so, why would they accept to not appear on the shirt anymore?

they'll replace the badge w/ their brand

 

[TornAndFrayed]

they'll replace the badge w/ their brand

Anything to get rid of the hyper inflated QATAR airways

appropriate in a way though since the Al-thanis are directly involved in almost every sport - luxury goods / services :icon_neutral:

 

[PearLBLacK]

Anything to get rid of the hyper inflated QATAR airways

Don't think you got what Deco was saying

 

[diegomessi]

2016, I finally can buy a kit, again??

yea same here

 

[Poor_Sunyol]

Bloody Arabs ruin everything.

 

[abual3bed1]

Just now in SPORT

 

[Galning]

Dat away shirt. I need it NOW!

 

[GiantKiller]

No Oryx? Is that the real thing?

 

[raskolnikov]

Im buying that away shirt if thats real, just sucks that the huge qatar is on it.