Qatar/Barca deal about silencing noisy neighbours

AS THE CLOCK winds down on FC Barcelona’s 111 year history without a commercial shirt sponsor new light is shed on the reason for the Qatar Foundation deal. The rationale is not, according to Middle-East expert, Dr Christopher Davidson, anything to do with the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Neither was it a behind the scenes vote swap with 2018 European bidders Spain. Qatar’s geopolitical position sandwiched between sabre rattling Iran and a dominant Saudi Arabia together with the high rolling ambitions of fellow gulf state Abu Dhabi were making it feel decidedly queasy. Davidson claims the deal was the ruling al-Thani family’s way of ensuring the tiny state boosted its security by buying continued attention on the world stage; which just goes to prove that a single measurement of sponsorship value will always be an impossible. - 16/2/2011