A Human Face

In an age where money and profits reign supreme;
In a sport where unscrupulous players and agents threaten to spoil the game,
There exists a saving grace.
They say the Catalans are very proud people,
And I can fully understand where these people are coming from.
In an unprecedented move,
Barcelona has gained my respect.
AIG and Siemens paid hundred of millions to have their brand advertised on Man Utd and Madrid's jerseys.
Barcelona never had any brands emblazoned across their famous colours in their entire history.
Why?
I dunno.
Maybe it's a cultural thing.
Take a walk around the city and you will experience a new meaning to the word - Culture.
So what's new,
You ask?
Barcelona just have to nod and agree to have a sponsor,
Business opportunists would immediately jump at the chance to offer them similar deals,
Hundred of millions worth of offers would pour in.
That would add to their coffers.
But they didn't do that.
They stuck to their guns and resisted temptations for decades.
Until this season,
Where this long-held no-man's land was finally overcame.
And who exactly is this 'brand' that managed to achieve the impossible?
If you had watched the Champions League game last night,
You might stand a chance to guess it right.
I was in shock when I saw the name plastered across their stripes.
'Unicef' is the word and 'brand'.
The question is in what way is Unicef and football interlinked?
Well...
It so happens that Unicef didn't have to pay hundred of millions to Barcelona.
By a funny quirk of fate,
It's the other way round.
In fact,
Barcelona is paying Unicef several millions a year to use their name.
It is all in all a charitable gesture.
It also happens that several Barcelona players are contributing a few percent of their salary to Unicef.
Now that's what I call a human face to football.
Such a noble reason to break long-held traditions.
And that is why I applauded every single of their goals last night.
If you watch football and don't have a team to support,
Take a leap of faith with Barcelona,
For they not only entertain with their skills and passing,
But also play with their hearts on their sleeves,
And they do have such big hearts.
You'll never find Chelsea doing these sort of things.
Even if they do,
I'll question the underlying agendas and motivations.
Nuff said.