FC Barcelona has been criticized for reaching a $22 million sponsorship deal with crypto firm ZKP

On November 29th, according to Decrypt, FC Barcelona signed a three-year global sponsorship deal worth $22 million with crypto company Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP) to become the club's official crypto protocol partner. But the move has attracted criticism.
Xavier Vilajoana, a former board member of the club, said the agreement with the crypto startup was a sign of financial "desperation" and that there were "red flags" in the company's background, calling the decision "extremely worrying". ZKP is a little-known blockchain company with its domicile in Samoa, which the European Union has added to its list of tax havens. ZKP launched its social media accounts and white paper in early November this year. When the agreement was reached, ZKP's account on the X platform had only 33 followers. Its website does not provide details on ownership and financing structure, and is currently conducting an initial coin offering (ICO).
FC Barcelona clarified in an official statement that the club was "not affiliated in any way with the company's token" and that the club had never discussed the existence or issuance of the token during sponsorship negotiations. Neither the existence nor issuance of the token was part of a previous sponsorship agreement with the club.