FC Barcelona and NIKE, Inc. have extended their current sponsorship deal, which was due to end on 30 June 2018. 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.

FC Barcelona and NIKE signed their first partnership agreement back in 1998 and have experienced two decades of extraordinary football together, with the club winning 4 Champions Leagues, 10 Ligas, 4 editions of the Copa del Rey and 3 Club World Cups, among others.

Josep M. Bartomeu, president of FC Barcelona

“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”.

“We are excited by this new agreement and are confident that we’ll be able to celebrate continued sporting successes together”.

Trevor Edwards, president of the NIKE Brand

“FC Barcelona is one of football’s greatest clubs, inspiring millions of sports fans across the globe, and we are extremely proud to continue our partnership together”.

“Our deep relationship with FC Barcelona extends NIKE's leadership position in football and we are excited by the opportunity to further grow the world’s most global sport”. 

On Friday in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia, a game was played to commemorate the day, 24 years ago, when FC Barcelona won its first European Cup at Wembley. On what was also his 50th birthday, former Barça star Hristo Stoichkov, who featured in that famous triumph, organised a wonderful celebration in the company of friends and colleagues from the period.

Several former Dream Team members appeared in the game at the Vasil Levski Stadium, including Jose Mari Bakero, Julio Salinas, Sergi Barjuán, Miquel Àngel Nadal and Txiki Begiristain, among others. FC Barcelona was also represented institutionally by director Javier Bordas.

During the build-up to the game, Stoitchkov spoke about what it all means to him. “I was a huge pleasure to play for Barça at such a young age and under the management of Johan Cruyff” he said. “He brought the best out in me. He is still the person who did the most to help me abroad.”

At its last ordinary meeting, the FC Barcelona board of directors decided that in the 2016/17 season, the conquest of the first of five European crowns is to be commemorated in style. The memory of that famous night at Wembley, the finest hour for that magnificent generation of Barça players, is one that deserves to be cherished over and over again.

The season ends with the enormous satisfaction of having achieved the seventh double in Barça’s history. As well as the league and the Copa del Rey, the list of honours for the season 2015/16 will also say that we won the European Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. Four great trophies, something no other team has achieved this year. In a few years’ time, when the history books are revisited, the statistics will show that this has been a great season. Trophies are important, that is true, but they are not everything; we have seen once again that Barça is a different club, unique and the best in the world.

We have shown that we are a team, made up of players and coaches who never renounce a way of playing that is admired all around the world. Players and coaches who are give everything and never know when they are beaten, whatever the competition.

We have shown that all together, members and fans, we are a club who at difficult moments know how to pay tribute to their own, from the most famous such as Johan Cruyff, down to those who have worked quietly in the background for decades such as Manel Vich.

We have shown that, regardless of events surrounding FC Barcelona: the FIFA sanction, attacks that come from people and sectors of society not connected to sport, Barça looks only forward, competing and winning.

And we have shown that Barça, the only global club that continues to be owned by its own members, has fantastic fans. I want to thank all the fans, especially the members, for their support for the team and, above all, for not caving in to provocation at difficult moments.

With regards to the sad episode involving the prohibition of the ‘estelada’ flags, I would like to share a passage from what I said to the Sevilla directors and the Spanish Football Federation at the dinner prior to the Copa del Rey final.

“I don’t know about you, but to me it appears anachronistic and pathetic that a universal right that many of us here defended when we were younger has to be invoked today in the 21^st century: the right to freedom of expression.

Faced with this great festival of football, we have seen how people unconnected to the world of sport have preferred to create conflict where none exists, wanting to create a battle over flags instead of promoting the spirit of sport.

Allow me to talk about our fans and to remind those who have shown a lack of respect to Barça followers, that for many years now we have enjoyed waving the ‘senyera’ and ‘estelada’ flags alongside blaugrana ones. There are many Barça fans who have adopted them as a symbol of identity or defence. In the same way that many Barça fans who do not wave them because they do not share all or some of what they represent. They do so during every game, at home and away, without ever having confronted any kind incidence of violence or confrontation.”

We have shown that, once more, the players, coaches, members and fans are models of committed, respectful and good natured behaviour, yet another demonstration of the democratic and sporting value that make FC Barcelona, beyond its successes on the field, a reference point around the world.

Thank you once again and we will enjoy all together the celebrations for the successes achieved.

Visca Barça and visca Catalunya

 Josep Maria Bartomeu

President of FC Barcelona

FC Barcelona's professional teams are on the verge of doing something that has been done just once before: they are attempting to bring home the league title from all six sports, a feat which has only been achieved in the 1998/99 season.

With the football, handball and roller hockey teams having already won their leagues this season, the basketball, futsal and the women's football team would like to emulate their success.

Here's a look at how they did and how they are doing:

FOOTBALL

Playing at Granada in the last game of the season on 14 May, Barça won their 24th League title in Club history after a season record of 29 wins, 4 draws and 5 defeats for 91 points.

Barça celebrate the 2015/16 La Liga title after beating Granada. / MIGUEL RUIZ-FCB

HANDBALL

Unbeatable in the last three years in domestic competition, the handball team won their 23rd league title this season and their sixth in a row, a record. This season they clinched on 30 April, with five games still to be played. The team seek to keep a perfect record when they play their last game in Granollers on Saturday, 4 June.

ROLLER HOCKEY

FC Barcelona clinched their 27th OK League title on 7 May after drawing, 4–4, with Vic. The title will be presented to the fans this Friday at the Palau Blaugrana, before their match against Reus. The competition ends on 4 June in Lleida.

WOMEN'S FOOTBALL

The FCB Women's team is right there in the fight for their fifth consecutive league title. The team is currently in second place with 71 points — one less than Athletic Club — with three crucial games still to play. Barça are unbeaten thus far, with 22 wins and 5 draws.

BASKETBALL

Trying to win the league for the first time in the last two seasons, Barça Lassa finished first in the regular season and are now facing Fuenlabrada in a quarterfinal playoff series that is already underway. With home-court advantage, things are looking up for FCB.

FUTSAL

The FC Barcelona futsal team are hoping to win their first league championship since taking three straight in 2011, 2012 and 2013. After beating Catgas Santa Coloma in the quarter-finals of the playoffs, they are about to begin the semis versus Magna Gurpea, beginning on Saturday, 28 May at 6.00pm CET at the Palau Blaugrana.

Enjoy a selection of snapshots from the first team's double celebration and from celebrations following league titles achieved by the Club's other professional teams

Although the 2015/16 season is winding down at Futbol Club Barcelona — some teams are already on vacation, while others are wrapping up the season — there was still plenty of activity going on. Here's a look at the top 10 news items from the past week:

Sergio Busquets to extend contract with FC Barcelona  until 2021: The midfielder will be dressed in Blaugrana for five more seasons, until 30 June 2021. The agreement also includes an incentive option for a two-year extension.

Ten key stats from Sergio Busquets' time with FC Barcelona: Among the midfielder’s impressive numbers, he has made 384 appearances for the first team and has won 24 titles.

Twenty years since Luis Enrique signed for FC Barcelona: It’s been two decades since the Spaniard arrived from Real Madrid. Now, two years into his coaching stint, Luis Enrique has won seven of nine possible titles.

FC Barcelona Lassa 99, Montakit Fuenlabrada 95: Perfect start to the playoffs: Xavi Pascual’s side dominate from start to finish in the opening game of their quarter final playoff series.

The four cups won in the 2015/16 season go on display at the Museum: To house all that shiny hardware, a new display case was created, dedicated solely to the achievements of the 2015/16 season. The case also houses a team shirt and the game ball from the Club World Cup final in Tokyo, signed by the players.

Luis Suárez's chart-topping season, by the numbers: The Uruguayan scored 59 goals in all competitions to earn him both the European Golden Shoe and the Spanish league’s top scorer prize, otherwise known as the Pichichi.

Neymar Jr comes face to face with his Madame Tussauds figure: The Brazilian star met his 'twin' in a private unveiling at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper. The new figure will travel to its permanent home in Orlando this summer.

Barça return to Wembley Stadium this summer: The Catalans meet Liverpool FC on 6 August at 5.00pm GMT (6.00pm CET) for their last game in this year’s International Champions Cup.

FC Barcelona's domestic double, as seen in the local and international press: The media in Barcelona, Madrid, the United States and the UK weigh in on the Catalans' newest achievement.

FC Barcelona's double-winning celebrations: The Club held a big party at Camp Nou to celebrate all the titles won during the 2015/16 season, including not just those won by the football team, but also by the roller hockey, handball and women’s and youth football teams.

The Board of Directors, who met on Monday, would like to express their gratitude and happiness towards the members of the Club who travelled to Madrid for the Copa del Rey final, and for their latest show of respect and civic spirit, despite of all that occurred in the previous days. This attitude shown by the Barca fans has received official praise and recognition from the municipality of Madrid and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), among others.

The Board also celebrates the fact that the members who requested specific seats were able to access them thanks to the personalisation of each ticket.

 Furthermore, the Board has approved in its entirety the agreement to extend the current sponsorship contract with Nike through to 2028, which ended on 30 June 2018, and marks a milestone in world football. The agreement must be ratified at the next General Assembly of Club Members, in which all of the details of the agreement will be outlined.

The Board has also approved to promote a travelling exhibition of Espai Barça through different Catalan towns between 7 June and 9 July, in order to continue publicising the project that will transform all the sports facilities of the Club. Following the success of the permanent exhibition located in Sala Paris, which has already had more than 90,000 visitors, the Board wants to take the project across Catalonia, with the basic information being told by several members of the Board.

Also approved by the Board is a new FCBEscola in Bombay, India, which will get underway in September. It will be the second of its kind in the country, and the 23rd in the world.

Finally they approved the appointment of Josep Maria Barnils, as the director responsible for the Social Commission, and Dani Sala as director of the Social Commission responsible for Supporters Clubs.

The next Board meeting will take place on Monday 13 June.

1) 360-degree video of the Copa del Rey celebrations at the Calderón

2) The double celebration at Camp Nou

3) We've shown it! FC Barcelona win the La Liga and the Copa del Rey!

4) A young Messi puts on a show

5) The #Suárez40 recipe for the Golden Shoe

6) Belletti, Ronaldinho recall 2006 Champions League final

7) Behind the scenes: The champions parade

8) The best moments from the champions parade

9) Messi v Koeman: free-kick duel

10) Camp Nou's tribute to Manel Vich

Located on a swathe of land in Sant Joan Despí, just five kilometres from Camp Nou, the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper officially opened its doors on 1 June 2006. The Club’s president at the time was Joan Laporta, although the tract was purchased nine years before by the Board of Directors of then-president Josep Lluís Núñez. Bureaucratic red tape, though, delayed ground-breaking until the winter of 2002, when Joan Gaspart was at the helm of the Club.

The inauguration itself was more symbolic than anything, since activity had begun in earnest on 10 May, 2006 with training sessions of the Club’s youth academy players.

A slew of Club and local officials attended the event, including Laporta; Secretary General of Sports of the Catalan Government, Manuel Ibern; President of the Catalan Football Federation, Jordi Roche; the Mayor of Sant Joan Despí, Antoni Poveda; and two grandchildren of FC Barcelona’s founder Joan Gamper: Manel and Xavier Gamper.

Ten years later, the Ciutat Esportiva is one of the Club’s most important symbols. It is where the youth players grow up, and where they train, play, and learn FC Barcelona’s values. And they do it right next to the Club’s first-team players who, since 2010, under the orders of then manager Pep Guardiola, moved their training facility from the claustrophobic field adjacent to Camp Nou out to the wide open pitches of the Ciutat Esportiva.

Other professional teams train there as well, giving the children of La Masia a close up view of the dreams many of them are shooting for.

The FC Barcelona Legends, a newly formed team of former Blaugrana players, will face a squad of former members from another European giant, Manchester United, on 2 July at Camp Nou. The match will mark the Catalan side's debut in front of their own fans.

The game will be played at 7:00pm CET. Tickets are on sale from today and can be purchased through the Club website: www.fcbarcelona.com. Ticket prices range between 9 and 19 Euros for the general public. Members and supporters clubs will enjoy special discounts: 20% off for members and 15% off for supporters clubs.

BUY TICKETS

The squad list for the FC Barcelona Legends team will be announced in the coming days. José Mari Bakero, who was the captain of the famous Dream Team, has already been confirmed as the team's coach.

Some of the players who will represent Manchester United in the game at Camp Nou have already been announced. Among those taking part are Paul Scholes, Ji-Sung Park, and Karel Poborsky, as well as Teddy Sheringham and Jesper Blomqvist. The latter two players were part of the Manchester United team that beat Bayern Munich, 2–1, to win the 1999 UEFA Champions League final at Camp Nou. The definitive squad list for the Manchester United Legends will be announced in the coming days.

This clash will also have a return leg, set for next year on 4 June 2017, when the Catalan Legends will visit the English side at Old Trafford.

The game at Camp Nou will be the second game played by the FC Barcelona Legends. The team's first match took place on 1 April of this year, in the Mexican city of Querétaro, against a team of former Mexican players. The Barça squad, playing under the orders of José Mari Bakero, brought together names like Stoichkov, Vitor Baía, Edmílson, Popescu, Ronald de Boer, and Mendieta, among others.

The FC Barcelona Legends is the fruit of an FC Barcelona program aiming to highlight the figure of the players who have donned the Blaugrana shirt. The project aims to contribute to the globalisation of the Barça brand and its values, while helping the athletes maximise their income after retirement. This initiative foresees a campaign of several matches, as well as the organisation of parallel events, in different parts of the world.

FC Barcelona announces that has received notice this afternoon of the sanction imposed by the UEFA Disciplinary Committee due to the display of ‘estelada’ flags at the Camp Nou at Champions League matches in the 2015/2016 season.

The fine is for 150,000 euros, although 50,000 euros shall be suspended if the events are not repeated in the next two years.

The Club shall be appealing against this sanction, and shall be taking all legal measures in order for the same to be revoked, for it considers it to be totally unjust and to be opposed to the exercise of the freedom of expression.

It’s been another eventful week at FC Barcelona, with the football team launching its new kit and the announcements of the departures of both Dani Alves and Marc Bartra. Meanwhile, the season is drawing to a close in a number of different sports. Here’s a round-up of the biggest stories of the week

- Monday 30 May. The brand new Barça kit was revealed, with slightly lighter tones than last year’s model and a style that deliberately mimics that of the shirt worn the year the team won its first European Cup in 1992. The new Nike uniform is on sale now.

- Wednesday 1 June. The tenth anniversary of the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper training facility, located 5 km from the Camp Nou and opened on 1 June 2006. This is where the academy players live and train, and since 2010 has also been used for first team training sessions.

- Thursday 2 June. Technical secretary Robert Fernández gives a press conference to look back at another hugely successful season, and reveals that not only will Neymar Jr be renewing his contract, but insists that the Brazilian will be staying at FC Barcelona for many more years. 

- Thursday 2 June. At the same conference, Fernández confirms that Dani Alves is leaving the club after eight seasons and 391 competitive appearances. The club officially thanks the Brazilian for all that he has done for FC Barcelona. 

- Thursday 2 June. FC Barcelona Lassa qualify for the final of futsal’s LNFS with a 3-1 defeat of Magna Gurpea in game two of the semi-final series with goals from Ferrao, Aicardo and Wilde.

- Friday 3 June. Former stars of Barça and Man United are to meet in a game at the Camp Nou on July 2. Tickets for the first home appearance of the FC Barcelona Legends are already on sale.

- Friday 3 June. Marc Bartra is leaving Barça for Borussia Dortmund. The Catalan joined Barça when he was just 12 years old, meaning that he’s spent half of his life at the club. Since making his debut with the first team, he’s amassed an enviable collection of medals, including five Ligas and two Champions Leagues.

- Saturday 4 June. Barça president Josep Maria Bartomeu goes to Benicàssim to lend his support to the U12 team in the LaLiga Promises tournament. Sadly, Barça crash out of the competition to Espanyol in the round of 16. 

- Sunday 5 June. The women’s football team lose at home to Atlético Madrid and say goodbye to their league title hopes. They’ve won the last four editions of the competition, but this season the trophy is headed to Athletic Bilbao. Hopefully better fortunes await in the Copa de la Reina. 

- Sunday 5 June. The FC Barcelona Lassa basketball team go 2-0 in their semi-final series with Laboral Kutxa Victòria. They now travel to Vitoria, where one win from a potential two games would be enough to clinch a berth in the final.

[[DES_1]]FC Barcelona is giving Barça fans the opportunity to play a game at the Camp Nou. To do it, Barça fans have to create a team with their friends between Tuesday, 7 June and Tuesday, 21 June. The two teams that get the most followers will face off on 7 July at the Stadium with transport and accommodation costs paid for by FC Barcelona.

Teams can be mixed gender and come from anywhere in the world. All players must be of legal age and have created a group of 11 friends. To participate and have the opportunity to play with your own team on Barça's field, simply register by clicking the button at the bottom of the page and following the instructions.

How to get followers?

Sharing and inviting through different social networks will be one of the keys to attracting followers and becoming one of the two winning teams that will take part in this one-of-a-kind experience.

PARTICIPATE NOW! Play at Camp Nou

FC Barcelona announces the release of FCB Ultimate Rush, an exciting new mobile running game that allows anyone to play the immersive running journey in the streets of Barcelona with Barça’s current superstars such as Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Neymar JR, Gerard Piqué, Andrés Iniesta and the rest of the team.

The game is available for both iOS and Android worldwide in 11 different languages.

Set in the enchanting city of Barcelona, the game story reveals that the city’s famous monuments have been stolen, and only the FC Barcelona superstars can save them. The game features spectacular 3D recreations of real-world locations such as Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter and many more on a quest to collect puzzle pieces and tokens to reconstruct the city.

Each Barça player in the game has it’s own one unique special ability that gives him an edge. Users can improve their players with power ups, which give the players extraordinary skills such as jumping higher, running at supersonic speeds and building immunity to injuries. The game starts by running with one player, but as the game progresses, you will need to get more players on your team in order to advance in levels and unlock new parts of the game.

This new official FC Barcelona digital product has two game modes - ‘Endless', a typical runner set up which tests the players’ physical capabilities and ‘Quest’, the main game mode which allows players’ the chance to complete specific tasks in a demanding test of their gaming skills.

Download APPSTORE

Download GooglePlay

The match between the FC Barcelona Legends and the Manchester United Legends, which was scheduled for 2 July at Camp Nou, has been postponed until a later date. Professional commitments stemming from the Euro 2016 led to scheduling conflicts for some of the players called upon to participate.

As soon as a new date is agreed to, the Club will let it be known through its official channels of communication. A match involving the Legends of both teams is scheduled for 2017 in Manchester.

The FC Barcelona Legends debuted on 1 April 2016 in Queretaro, Mexico, against a team of former Mexican players.

The Board of Directors, who met today at the offices of the club, have been informed of the proposed compliance agreement that has been presented by the Legal Services of the Club in reference to the  case followed by the Barcelona Courts for the signing of Neymar Jr.

The Board plans to discuss the matter then take a decision on the case in the ordinary meeting that was already scheduled for this coming Monday.

Another week has gone by at FC Barcelona and while the domestic season has finished, there is still plenty going on in and around the club.

Neymar Jr was at the NBA finals where he met with some of the game’s top stars in Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and compatriot Leandrinho Barbosa. Sergio Busquets spoke to Barça TV, the basketball side made it to the Endesa League final for a tenth year on the trot, while Leo Messi was up to his usual tricks in the Copa America, scoring a quick-fire hat-trick for Argentina against Panama.

Here is the pick of what happened in the past seven days:

Neymar Jr takes in some NBA action

6 June marked a year since the team's fifth Champions League win. What do you remember from the final?

Play a match at Camp Nou. Take part and live the dream.

'Lucho's men' documentary released.

Sergio Busquets discusses his past in a personal interview.

Preseason begins on 19 July

A look back at Messi's free-kicks

Euro 2016 is underway

Barça reach tenth straight Endesa League final

Messi's third fastest hat-trick.

The Board of Directors, which convened for an ordinary session at the Club's offices on Monday, has decided to approve the agreement presented by the Club's Legal Services with regard to the case surrounding the signing of Neymar Jr, currently being heard in the Courts of the Province of Barcelona.

The agreement involves the recognition by the Club of an error in tax planning for the signing of the player, for the fiscal years 2011 and 2013, when they did not not correctly withhold payments resulting from his incorporation. In addition, the Club has been exonerated from responsibility for the fiscal year 2014, which was also part of the proceedings.

The Board considers the approval of this agreement to be a positive step, one that puts an end to a situation of legal uncertainty that could have affected the viability of the Club's sporting and economic plan in the coming years.

Given the importance of this decision, the Board has decided to subject the motion to approval at the next General Assembly of Member Delegates.

Other agreements

In addition, the Board has approved several auxiliary services contracts for the Club for the next two seasons, covering the areas of security, access control, and ball retrieval staff, among others.

The Board also approved a new FCB Escola in Ottawa, Canada, the country's fourth, which will commence operations in October.