Barcelona agreed to a "long-term" contract extension with American sportswear giants Nike on Saturday, which will reportedly see the Catalan club surpass Manchester United with the most lucrative kit-sponsorship deal in the world.
Barca said the details of the deal will be revealed and ratified at the club’s next general assembly. Catalan sports dailies Sport and Mundo Deportivo reported, however, that the world champions could make up to a staggering 155 million euros (Dh 639 million, $174 million) a season.
That would dwarf the current £75 million (Dh 400 million, $109 million) a season, 10-year deal Manchester United agreed with Adidas last year.
“FC Barcelona and NIKE, Inc. have extended their current sponsorship deal, which was due to end on 30 June 2018,” Barcelona said in a statement.
“The long-term agreement is a landmark in global football and builds upon a highly successful partnership.
“The details of the agreement will be reported and will have to be ratified at the next Club General Assembly.”
A record-breaking deal would ease the strains on Barca’s finances with a 420-million euro renovation of their Camp Nou stadium due to begin in 2018.
Moreover, the club are reportedly set to announce an extension to Brazilian star Neymar’s contract – who is a key Nike-sponsored athlete – in the coming weeks.
“Through this new agreement with Nike we are extending a strategic alliance for the club, while also reinforcing our global position, hand in hand with the leading global sports brand,” said Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu.
“We are excited by this new agreement and are confident that we’ll be able to celebrate continued sporting successes together.”
Despite sealing a 24th La Liga title last weekend, Barca are yet to agree a shirt sponsorship deal for next season as talks with current sponsors Qatar Airways have stalled.
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THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
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Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
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BRIGHTON 0
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Mata 73'
Pogba 80'
Fight card
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Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
Gender pay parity on track in the UAE
The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.
"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."
Mr Raffoul said most gender issues are actually due to the cultural class, as the population is dominated by Asian and Arab cultures where men are generally expected to work and earn whereas women are meant to start a family.
"For that reason, we see a different gender gap. There are less women in senior roles because women tend to focus less on this but that’s not due to any companies having a policy penalising women for any reasons – it’s a cultural thing," he said.
As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general.
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPAD%20PRO%20(12.9%22%2C%202022)
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
