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52512 , 10 ' ",

Beit Hakeren, 10 Hata'as St. Ramat Gan


52512, Israel
www.israellawcenter.org
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________

Tel: 972-3-7514175 :
Fax: 972-3-7514174 :
212-591-0073

July 13, 2015


Josep Maria Bartomeu
President, Football Club Barcelona
Av. Arstides Maillol, s/n 08028 Barcelona
Kingdom of Spain
Dear Mr. Bartomeu:
I am an Israeli attorney and the founder of Shurat HaDin-Israel Law Center, a
human rights organization based in Tel-Aviv, Israel. We are dedicated to combatting
international terrorism by utilizing the legal system in courtrooms around the world. I
am writing to strongly request that Football Club Barcelona sever its financial
relationship with Qatar Sports Investment and Qatar Airways. The government of
Qatar, as you should be aware, is one of the world's leading supporters of international
terrorism and FC Barcelona's affiliation with this outlaw regime and its
instrumentalities greatly tarnishes your team's public image and provides legitimacy
to this rogue state's support for extremist violence.
With the upcoming election this week we urge you to join your colleague Mr.
Joan Laporta and publicly pledge to discontinue all ties and sponsorships of FC
Barcelona by the Qatar regime.
In 2011, your predecessor signed a $200 million-plus deal with Qatar Sports
Investment. Qatar Sports Investment is an investment vehicle of the Government of
Qatar. Qatar Airways is a government-owned enterprise of Qatar, a recognized state
sponsor of terrorism, and one that is complicit in a string of human rights abuses
within Qatar and throughout the Middle East. FC Barcelona's financial ties with Qatar
places your football team in very strange, suspect and possibly criminal company.
Qatar, along with the Islamic Republic of Iran, is the leading financial
supporters of the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza. Qatar has transferred hundreds
of millions of dollars to this extremist organization which is dedicated to the violent
destruction of Israel. Hamas has been designated as an international terrorist group by
Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia and Israel. Hamas seeks to replace the
Jewish State with a fundamentalist Islamic one through the use of heinous terrorist
attacks targeting innocent civilians. The head of Hamas, Khaled Mashal is provided
support and safe haven in Qatar. Indeed, it was from his headquarters in Doha that he
directed Hamas' terrorist operatives who murdered three Israeli teenagers last June
and then launched more than 4,500 rockets at Israeli civilian centers last summer.
Qatar is well aware of the murder and violence being planned and perpetrated by
Khaled Mashal and his Hamas organization in Doha and yet continues to allow these
murderous jihadists to brazenly operate from the center of its territory.

In addition, Qatar has supported other Islamic terrorist organizations such as


al Qaeda and the Taliban. Members of these terrorist organizations have been
identified as operating from within Qatar. Moreover, Qatar has turned a blind eye to
the fact that some of its citizens provide financial support to the extremist ISIS
organization which has perpetrated inhuman violence all across the Middle East. The
regime in Doha leniency clearly evidences it has no moral objections to the
widespread massacres, abductions, enslavements and rapes of Christians, Yazidis and
other minorities being exterminated by ISIS.
Why FC Barcelona would want to be sponsored and be affiliated with Qatar,
an outlaw regime that sponsors Hamas, al Qaeda, the Taliban and ISIS remains a
serious mystery of great concern. As president you are stating to the world that
money means a lot more to your football team than violence against civilians and
safeguarding human rights and dignity. Qatar's sponsorship of Islamic terrorism while
at the same time providing FC Barcelona financial endorsement should raise other
professional concerns for you as well.
Relevant FIFA standards: The actions and policies of the Qatari government
are not consistent with FIFA standards regarding non-discrimination, nonintimidation, and non-violence, Article 2, FIFA Disciplinary Code (2011 ed.). The
relevant standards are:
Non-discrimination and stance against racism: Discrimination
of any kind against a Country, private person or group of people on
account of race, skin colour, ethnic, national or social origin is
strictly prohibited.
Article 3, FIFA Statutes (August, 2014).
Promoting friendly relations: FIFA shall promote friendly
relations
b) in society for humanitarian objectives.
Article 4, FIFA Statutes (August, 2014).
The Qatari governments routine support for anti-Semitic, anti-Western terror groups
is support of the most violent form of discrimination and is inconsistent with the letter
and spirit of the FIFA statutes.
Qatars violations: As noted above, Qatar is a state sponsor of Hamas, a
designated foreign terrorist organization1 that is the de facto governing authority of the
Gaza Strip. Qatar pledged more than $400 million to support Hamas in October
2012.2 In June 2012, Qatar gave $60 million to pay the salaries of Hamas employees,

62 F.R. 52650.
Jewish News Service, Gaza Conflict Spotlights Role of Qatar, the Hamas-Funding US Ally (Aug. 1,
2014).
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including terrorists.3 Qatar has also given refuge to Hamas chief Khaled Mashal in
Doha, allowing him a sanctuary from which to direct world-wide terror operations.4
Qatar is also a state sponsor of Al-Qaeda. With the acquiescence of the
government, Abd al-Rahman bin Umayr Nuaymi, a Qatari national, is a terrorist
financier and facilitator for the activities of al Qaeda and its affiliates in Syria, Iraq,
Somalia and Yemen. Although he holds no official position, he is in the inner circle of
the emir.5
Finally, the Qatari government has provided support to the Taliban militia of
Afghanistan and allows it to openly operate in Doha.6 The Taliban is a terrorist
organization whose terror and barbarity is unequaled in the world today. To say that
support for Hamas, Al Qaeda and the Taliban is beneath the high ideals to which FC
Barcelona subscribes is to massively understate the obvious.
FC Barcelona should have no relationship with the government of Qatar.
Spain itself has suffered so greatly from extremist violence and terrorism in recent
years. The goals of the current Qatari government are diametrically opposed to the
FIFA goal of promoting peaceful understanding. FC Barcelona, as a member of a
FIFA member league, should not affiliate with a state supporter of terror. Your
opponent in the election for FC Barcelona President, Mr. Laporta, has recognized the
inconsistency between FC Barcelonas ideals and those of the Qatari government and
declared his intention to discontinue FC Barcelonas relationship with Qatar if
elected.7 I urge you to join his principled stand and declare your intention to sever ties
with Qatar as well.
Yours Very Truly,

Nitsana Darshan-Leitner
President and Founder
Shurat HaDin Israel Law Center

Ryan Mauro, U.S. Overlooks Global Terror Funding by Its 'Ally' Qatar, The Clarion Project (Aug 17,
2014).
4
Id.
5
Id.
6
How Qatar came to host the Taliban, BBC World News (Jun. 22, 2013).
7
Pete Jenson, Joan Laporta promises to put UNICEF back on Barcelona shirt and scrap link with
Qatar should he win presidential election, Daily Mail (Jul. 12, 2015).

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