Barcelona blasted for ‘whitewashing human rights violations’

Barcelona have come in for criticism for their recent sponsorship agreement with the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Amnesty International are the latest to sound off at the Catalan giants. The Catalan giants will be wearing the a slogan from the DR Congo tourism board for the next four years.

Last month it was announced that Barcelona agreed a four-year agreement with the Government of DR Congo to become a shirt sponsor. The Blaugrana training kit will see the words ‘DR Congo – The heart of Africa’ on the back of their shirts in French, and the same line now appears on their shirt sleeves for matches too. It is believed that the deal will bring around €44m into the Barcelona coffers over the period of the contract. The deal also includes a partnership with the Barca Innovation Hub, and plans to create programmes in schools to improve sport in the country.

Amnesty International accuse Barcelona of whitewashing human rights violations

The deal was met with raised eyebrows by some, given Barcelona’s supposed commitment to upholding human rights and certain values. As reported by Marca, Amnesty International have condemned the agreement, stating that ‘sports cannot be a platform to whitewash human rights violations.’

Their statement notes that the Eastern part of the country, where there is currently conflict between government forces and Rwanda-backed rebel groups, such as M23, is the scene of ‘devastating human rights abuses’. The DR Congo government claim that these are exclusively being perpetrated by the M23 rebels, but their information is that the military have also been involved in gang rapes, extra-judicial executions, abuse of civilian populations and oteher atrocities.’

La Liga doesn’t agree to reverse the order of Barcelona – Valencia. The club will have to find another alternative if the Spotify Camp Nou cannot be reopened in time. @jbatalla7

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) August 25, 2025

An international issue

The deal was condemned at the time too, given the ongoing human rights issues. DR Congo’s government is also moving to implement the dealth penalty for homosexuality, while Barcelona openly supports LGBTQIA+ causes. Earlier this month, the agreement was brought up in Swedish parliament, as Sweden sends millions in aid to DR Congo, with 73% of the population meeting the stipulations for living in poverty.

AS Monaco and AC Milan have signed similar deals with DR Congo, while Arsenal and Atletico Madrid have come in for similar criticism for their agreement with Rwanda.