DR Congo sponsors millionaire’s club FC Barcelona
The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is supporting the financially troubled Spanish soccer champions FC Barcelona with more than €40 million. Shirt sponsorship is intended to present the country as “the heart of Africa” and as a travel destination. Meanwhile, 75 percent of the population subsists on less than two dollars a day.
“FC Barcelona and the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have announced a strategic four-year partnership with the objective of promoting football and the culture of sport and peace,” according to a club statement.
According to Reuters, Barça will receive between €10 million and €11.5 million annually for the next four seasons. The Congo campaign – “R.D. Congo – Coeur d’Afrique” – will appear on the back of the men’s and women’s teams’ training and warm-up jerseys, as well as on promotional materials, the club magazine, and the annual report.
In June, the DRC apparently signed advertising agreements with clubs AS Monaco (€1.6 million per year) and AC Milan (reportedly €14 million in total).
Soccer clubs Arsenal, Bayern Munich, and Paris St Germain already receive sponsorship from Congo’s neighboring country Rwanda – most recently, Atlético Madrid as well. FC Bayern Munich ended this type of sponsorship in August and instead wants to expand the “FC Bayern Youth Academy” in Kigali, calling it a “strategic evolution of their partnership.”
The government in Kinshasa and the UN accuse Rwanda of supporting M23 rebels, who in February 2025 seized large areas of eastern Congo, including Virunga National Park and the provincial capitals Goma and Bukavu.
FC Barcelona had a budget of €893 million for the 2024/25 season and is valued at €5.6 billion. The club is managed by former Germany national coach Hansi Flick.
Congo’s sports minister Didier Budimbu is also a familiar figure: until 2024, he was the minister for petroleum and was responsible for the aborted auction of 27 oil and three gas fields.
