" ' , 10 , 52512

Beit Hakeren, 10 Hata'as St. Ramat Gan 52512, Israel

www.israellawcenter.org ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

:972-3-7514175 Tel: :972-3-7514174 Fax:

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.

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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, non-

intimidation, 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,

1 62 F.R. 52650. 2 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

3 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).