Barcelona pen sponsorship deal with blockchain company platforming alleged child trafficker Andrew Tate | OneFootball

Barcelona announced on Friday a new sponsorship agreement with blockchain company ZKP, or Zero Knowledge Proof. The deal has raised eyebrows, not least because of whom the company chooses to be associated with.

The sponsorship deal entails ZKP becoming Barcelona’s global blockchain partner until 2028 for the nxt two years. The company is based on ‘decentralised AI’ according to the club statement, and they will make use of their digital advertising assets across the club’s communication channels.

Suprise over new company

Image via FC Barcelona

Most of Barcelona’s sponsors are global brands with significant history and a track record of putting up big numbers. However ZKP was only formed in 2022, and only became a public company in 2025, as per their own website.

Notably, the company’s Twitter/X account at the time of writing has just 141 followers. They will launch their blockchain on the 27th of November in less than two weeks, and have just two official partners; Barcelona and NRL-side The Dolphins. Interestingly, ‘Zero Knowledge Proof’ is a theory based on convincing people of a statement based on other information than conveying that the statement is true.

ZKP associate themselves with Andrew Tate

More surprising still, is that ZKP have chosen to platform a tweet from Andrew Tate, which is their pinned tweet on their profile. They say that Tate’s view on AI and blockchain is ‘the future’.

Tate is currently awaiting trial in Romania for charges of human trafficking, child trafficking, rape and sex with a minor. In the United Kingdom, he also has 21 charges against him for rape, actual bodily harm and human trafficking. Given Barcelona is a club that publicly epouses the values of equality and feminism, it is surprising that they would be in league with a company that supports a figure such as Tate, given his criminal and abhorrent media history, arguing for the subjugation of women.