5 reasons why some fans dislike Barcelona
When a team wins as many trophies as Catalan side Barcelona does, jealousy is bound to get the better of most rival fans. When a team can boast of a player like Lionel Messi, who single-handedly smashes (and sets beyond the reach of any living human) goalscoring and assist records, you're bound to be called a one-man team. When you have your own, distinct brand of football, people are bound to criticise it to no end.
Yet despite all these magnificent qualities and a global fan-base, Luis Enrique's club are still the target of an inordinate amount of vitriol from rival fans from around the world. We take a look at why anyone would hate the team that formed the basis of one of the most successful national teams (Spain) ever.
And before anybody says it - we're not counting 'jealousy' or 'Lionel Messi' as the reason - no, let's dig a bit deeper!
#5 Promoting a nation with a terrible human rights record
One of the things that always made Barcelona "the good guys" to Real Madrid's "bad guys" in Spain was that as a club, they tended to steer away from big-money sponsorships with dubious firms.
In fact, it became an integral part of their image – 'Mes que un club' - more than a club. A union of like-minded fans from a sectarian part of Spain uniting to 'stick it' to the big dogs in the capital by playing brilliant football and doing it without taking money from the corporates.
For over a century, Barcelona didn't even have a sponsor on their shirt. Finally, they broke tradition to sign a deal with UNICEF in 2006 – which involved them giving the organisation around €1.5 million to display the logo on their jersey.
But money is never enough in this world, is it? In 2011, they signed a deal to finally get paid to display a company's logo on their shirts. Of all people, who did the moralistic club choose to represent? The oil-flushed hosts of the 2022 FIFA World Cup – Qatar. For the past 6 years, Barcelona have been sponsored by a nation that has been repeatedly accused of human rights abuse, breaking a very respectable stance of over 100 years.
Are they really more than a club? Not with those double-standards!