Spanish football club FC Barcelona is under fire following a sponsorship deal with Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP), a crypto startup from Samoa. Critics have called the partnership dubious and risky, citing the lack of information about the mysterious crypto company. Some are concerned that fans could ultimately be the victims.
FC Barcelona’s Sponsorship Deal #
Two weeks ago, FC Barcelona announced the new sponsorship deal with Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP). ZKP is a crypto project that, according to its website, focuses on creating a decentralized infrastructure for AI.
According to the announcement, ZKP is now the club’s official blockchain partner, with a collaboration agreement running until 2028, focused on ‘digital advertising assets’ and ‘fan experiences’.
❗️Official: FC Barcelona have announced a new global sponsor: Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP), a Samoa-based AI and blockchain company. The agreement runs until 2028 and includes digital advertising assets and fan experiences, though the company’s tiny social-media presence has… — Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) November 15, 2025
A Dubious Crypto Startup #
The partnership immediately raised questions, as reported by the Financial Times. ZKP is a relatively unknown cryptocurrency, with only 33 followers on social media platform X at the time of the announcement.
The startup is also based in Samoa, a country considered a tax haven by the European Union. Although the company claims to be transparent, its owners are unknown, as is the origin of its funding. A manifesto on its website states: “Everyone asks: ‘Who is behind this?’. As if knowing our names would make the code stronger. That’s not the case. We are real – engineers, cryptographers, ex-founders, system killers. But we don’t play the PR game.”
Worthless Tokens for Fans? #
Critics accuse FC Barcelona of being desperately in search of funding and therefore taking excessive risks. The football club’s financial position has been under pressure for some time.
Some are concerned that as a result of the collaboration, FC Barcelona will sell ‘worthless tokens’ to fans. This is partly fueled by the fact that ZKP recently launched the FC Barcelona Fan Token (FCB).
However, FC Barcelona denies any involvement. The club distanced itself from the FCB token, stating it has nothing to do with the launch and that the FCB token is not part of the sponsorship deal.
Official: Barça distanced itself from ZKP’s newly announced FCB token, saying the club has zero involvement in its creation, management or tech. The token wasn’t part of their sponsorship deal and Barça says it’ll share updates only when there’s clear, confirmed info. — Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) November 26, 2025
FC Barcelona and Crypto #
FC Barcelona has previously experimented with crypto. The club, among other things, launched a Barça Pass crypto wallet based on XRP and signed a collaboration agreement with Cardano.
Additionally, FC Barcelona experimented with NFTs and issuing Fan Tokens via the Socios platform on the Chiliz blockchain.