FC Barcelona, like Ferrovial, under attack by the government, moves its headquarters to the Netherlands to list in New York
FC Barcelona will establish the headquarters of its audiovisual production and digital content subsidiary, Barça Media, in the Netherlands to be listed on the US Nasdaq, according to documentation filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), a decision taken by Ferrovial at the beginning of the year for which it received strong criticism from Pedro Sánchez’s government, criticism that is now conspicuous by its absence from the Catalan club.
This decision comes after the Catalan football club announced on 11 August an agreement with Mountain Partners, a firm specialising in investments in technology companies and emerging sectors, to create a spac or investment company to list part of the company on the US stock market.
FC Barcelona copies Ferrovial’s strategy
Barcelona’s move is similar to the one approved by Ferrovial’s shareholders’ meeting last April to move the company’s headquarters from Madrid to the Netherlands to make the leap to Wall Street, a decision widely criticised by Pedro Sánchez’s government, which threatened and insulted the construction and services group chaired by Rafael del Pino.
Barça Media is the company that encompasses all of Barça’s audiovisual production and digital content assets and is valued at around $1 billion, or 910 million euros.
The agreement with Mountain & Co. and Acquisition Corp. aims to enable the company to access funding in US capital markets.
The aim is to accelerate the club’s initiatives in the digital sector and to be able to disseminate Barça Media’s content to new audiences in strategic markets for the club around the world.
The deal is pending approval by FC Barcelona’s General Assembly of Members, which is expected to take place in October.
