Thailand – FC Barcelona has announced the launch of its social campaign “Barça Influencer Social Campaign in Southeast Asia” which will kick off a series of challenge on digital platforms for their fans in Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand between December 2024 and March 2025. 

From now on, sports and social enthusiasts from Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand are welcomed to take part in this dynamic social media campaign on Instagram and TikTok. 

Spanning across four months, the campaign will be comprised of two phases of engaging games and challenges, featuring our men’s team players with intriguing interaction with participants on the platforms.

Final winners will be selected based on creativity, engagement and participation, with FC Barcelona reserving the rights for the final decision. 

“With more than 529 million followers on social media worldwide, the Club always strives to seek for innovative ways to foster a closer relationship with our supporters, partners and Culers through sports,” the club said in a press statement.

They added, “As one of the most followed European multi-sports clubs in Asia Pacific, it is encouraging to see this first campaign to be launched for our fans in Southeast Asia, the Club wishes to bring more similar kind of campaigns to the other places and regions around the world in the future.”

Barcelona, Spain – Football club FC Barcelona pays tribute to the deaf community through a performance of the Barça anthem in sign language during a match. The game at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys served as a platform to celebrate International Week of the Deaf and International Sign Language Day. 

A choir from the Barcelona Deaf Cultural and Recreational Center and the Barça Deaf Supporters’ Club performed the Barça Anthem in sign language. Before the match, deaf children from the club and the Catalan Association of Families and People with Deafness (ACAPPS) also accompanied the players onto the field. 

The Barça Deaf Supporters’ Club created the word “BARÇA” in sign language to identify and promote the team’s name to all sign language users. 

As part of the club’s 125th anniversary celebration, FC Barcelona launched a campaign encouraging fans to participate in the sign language version of the Barça Anthem. Players Jules Koundé, Marc Casadó, Sergi Domínguez, Jana Fernández, Marta Torrejón, and Ona Batlle, participated in the campaign.

This campaign was made in collaboration with start-up Visualfy, which provides solutions for deaf or hard-of-hearing people.

To further its commitment to diversity and inclusivity, FC Barcelona has also signed agreements with organizations like ACAPPS and ONCE Social Group and provided digital accessibility training for staff.

“This is the latest of many actions by the DEI department arising from an agreement with ACAPPS, a non-governmental organisation that aims to represent and defend the rights of deaf people who communicate orally, ensuring their full participation and accessibility in all areas of life,” FC Barcelona stated in a press release.

South Korea – FC Barcelona has officially launched its channel on NAVER TV in South Korea, offering NAVER users exclusive access to the club’s official content, marking a significant step in expanding its digital presence in the region.

FC Barcelona’s NAVER TV channel will utilise the Papago AI automatic translation technology, allowing the club’s content, originally in Spanish and English, to be seamlessly translated into Korean. This is the first international sports channel to do so with NAVER’s personalisation technology in order to bridge the gap and strengthen the connection between international sports clubs and Korean sports fans.

With this launch, news about the men’s and women’s first teams will now be accessible on the channel and through the ‘Home Feed’ feature on NAVER’s mobile app.

FC Barcelona’s partnership with NAVER underscores the club’s ongoing commitment to expanding its fanbase in the Asia-Pacific region. By leveraging creative content strategies and collaborating with key local digital platforms, the club aims to deliver localised, engaging, and customised content that goes beyond just match coverage. This includes features on players and broader club news, providing fans with an in-depth and authentic understanding of Barça’s culture and style of play.

Juli Guiu, vice president of the Marketing Area at FC Barcelona, said, “Asian countries represent an important source of growth for the Barça brand with millions of users who increasingly ask us for original content from the Club. For this reason, the launch of a new FC Barcelona channel on NAVER TV is a strategic move to reach out to our fans in Korea, who are some of the most passionate in the region. We want to establish new channels of direct communication with our fans around the world, and NAVER TV is the perfect platform to reach the audience of a key market in the Asia Pacific.”

Meanwhile, Joo Kun Bum, head of NAVER Sports, commented, “We look forward to promoting FC Barcelona’s content in Korean on NAVER. I hope this opportunity will lay the foundation for further collaborations with FC Barcelona, one of the most prestigious teams in La Liga.”

Hong Kong – Maybank has extended its partnership with FC Barcelona until 2027, continuing as the club’s official bank in Malaysia and Singapore, a role it has held since their initial agreement in 2017.

The renewed partnership represents a major boost for both parties: FC Barcelona will use Maybank to strengthen its foothold in Asia’s vast market, while Maybank will capitalise on the club’s extensive reach to enhance its presence and drive customer engagement.

As part of the renewal, Maybank will maintain its promotion of FC Barcelona debit and credit cards in Malaysia and Singapore and will continue offering exclusive campaigns such as Spend & Score, featuring challenges and prize draws that have previously allowed clients to travel to Barcelona and meet Barça Legends.

Juli Guiu, vice president of the FC Barcelona marketing area, said, “We are proud to extend the collaboration between FC Barcelona and Maybank to provide new services and Barça experiences for our fans in Malaysia and Singapore as Barça Official Bank in both markets. Asia is a strategic region for club expansion, with hundreds of thousands of passionate fans eager for new and innovative ways to have a closer relationship with us, and Maybank initiatives are a perfect fit for all of them. We look forward to continuing to work together in this extended relationship.”.

Meanwhile, Syed Ahmad Taufik Albar, group CEO for Community Financial Services of Maybank, shared, “We are thrilled to announce the continuation of our successful partnership with FC Barcelona. This collaboration marks the commitment to delivering exceptional value and experiences to our customers. Over the past years, we have launched numerous marketing campaigns, activations, and exclusive deals that resonated deeply with Malaysian and Singaporean Culers. This renewed partnership promises to bring even more innovative and engaging initiatives that will delight fans and strengthen our bond with one of the world’s most iconic football clubs.” 

“FC Barcelona holds a special place in the hearts of football enthusiasts in Malaysia and Singapore, and our collaboration with the club underscores our dedication to enhancing our customer-centric experiences. As one of the top football clubs in these regions, FC Barcelona’s popularity provides a unique platform for us to connect with our customers in meaningful ways. We look forward to another three years of shared success and unforgettable football moments,” he added. 

Maybank boasts over 14 million cardmembers across Malaysia and Singapore, including more than 600,000 FC Barcelona Visa debit and credit cardholders, highlighting the strong bond Maybank has established with football fans in the region.