Spanish prosecutors shelved a complaint over the Democratic Republic of the Congo's sponsorship deal with Barcelona, citing a lack of territorial jurisdiction. The matter concerned a partnership Barcelona announced in July 2025.
Terms of the agreement
Barcelona announced a partnership with the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in July 2025 to promote the African state through sport and culture. The deal was worth 44 million euros over four seasons.
Under the agreement, the slogan "Democratic Republic of the Congo, Heart of Africa" would appear on the back of the training shirts worn by Barcelona's professional teams, alongside other promotional activities.
What the complaint challenged
A formal complaint questioned both the procedures behind the agreement and the source of the money funding it. The complaint focused on the possibility that public money had financed the contract without a prior tender or the approval of the Congolese parliament.
Why prosecutors stopped
Sport newspaper reported that the public prosecutor's office opened a preliminary investigation to examine the facts. According to Albert Lemos on Cadena SER radio, prosecutors chose to shelve the complaint because the facts did not take place in Spain and they therefore lack territorial jurisdiction to investigate.
GOAL reported that shelving the complaint brings an end to the preliminary investigations opened in Spain into Congo's sponsorship of Barcelona. GOAL reported that prosecutors never assessed whether any irregularities tainted the signing of the contract.
