FC Barcelona is one of the most popular football clubs globally with a huge fan base. The Spanish club has concluded plans to explore blockchain technologies to launch Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and the metaverse to sustain growth and development.
Announcing the plan, the President of the Spanish football club, Joan Laporta, intimated the public though without revealing details, on FC Barcelona’s plan to join other organizations and individuals in exploring the metaverse and launching an NFT.
He stated that the club wishes to offer premium services to its over 300 million fans worldwide. However, the president noted that in achieving the stated mission, blockchain technology is a critical sector to consider; on that note, he revealed that the club would create its cryptocurrency soon.
FC Barcelona on a Mission to Diversify
Laporta noted that the club focuses on developing sustainable growth, hence diversifying technologically. He explained the significance of NFTs and the metaverse to FC Barcelona (Barca) and his fans. We are in a digital era, and attention has been shifted hugely to blockchain products and services; thus, the club hopes that with the launch of its NFTs and the metaverse, it will offer digital products and services to its members and fans.
Barca is a sports institution that has lived for over 120 years and currently seeks to diversify its interest. The club is utilizing avenues to integrate esports and new technologies into its existing line of business. Laporta maintained that though the cardinal goal of the club is to win matches, bring home more trophies and make their fans happy, the club also needs to explore other means of profiting in the sports industry.
Journey to the Metaverse
Laporta said that FC Barcelona’s decision to create opportunities in blockchain technology is because socios.com, a platform used by soccer clubs to sell their respective cryptocurrencies, has failed in its expectations. However, Alexander Dreyfus, owner of socios.com, debunked the claims made by Laporta. He said the beauty of blockchain technology is its transparency and public view.
Nevertheless, the management of the Camp Nou stadium, FC Barcelona’s playground, has started the process of reconstruction using advanced technologies to achieve inclusion and sustainable growth. According to its plan, the club revealed that it had created the Barca studios for content creation and production of audiovisual services offered by the team and the Barca hub to accommodate new technologies and improve the team player’s workflow.
To remain relevant, we must offer emerging technology-based products and services. Therefore, in line with the club’s focus, the NFTs, metaverse, and FC Barcelona’s cryptocurrency will be launched soon. When that is achieved, Barca will join other European Soccer clubs and organizations to profit from blockchain technologies.
Leading European football clubs have made over $200 million in profit from the sale of crypto tokens to their respective fans across the globe. The soccer teams have hailed the involvement as they utilized the opportunity to rake in massive revenue during the pandemic period. However, the scheme has been criticized based on the possibility of being a door to introducing unreliable cryptocurrencies.