‘Whitewashing human rights violations’ – Barcelona targeted over DR Congo deal | OneFootball

La Liga champions Barcelona have early this week seen their motives come in for serious questioning on the part of Amnesty International.

This comes owing to the recent agreement struck between the Blaugrana and the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

As per a report from Marca, the terms of the deal entail that:

‘All Barça professional teams will wear the ‘DR Congo – Coeur de L’Afrique’ logo on the back of their training shirts until the 2028-29 season, and the African country will become a global partner.’

In exchange, Barcelona will receive a sum of €10 million for each of the next four years.

As alluded to above, though, on Monday, Joan Laporta and co. have come under fire for their role in the partnership…

As much has come by way of a strongly-worded statement on the part of Amnesty International, who write that:

“Sport cannot be a showcase for whitewashing human rights violations. The eastern region of the DRC is marked by an armed conflict between the Rwandan-backed March 23 Movement (M23) and groups supported by the Congolese army, with gang rapes of women, abuses against the civilian population , and control over territories rich in minerals such as gold and coltan.

“When we see ‘Visit Rwanda’ or ‘DR Congo-Coeur de l’Afrique’ on a jersey, we should also see the abuses they are trying to hide.”

Conor Laird – GSFN