FC Barcelona reach Latin American fans with Rappi

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FC Barcelona and Rappi
Image credit: Christian Bertrand / Shutterstock.com

FC Barcelona added Latin American home-delivery service Rappi to its existing group of partners, in what is being described as a hugely beneficial moment for fans in the region.

The current two-and-half year deal is a part of FC Barcelona’s continued brand expansion in the Americas, meeting several of its commercial targets as it asserts itself as one of the world’s leading sports brands.

Football is not new territory for home-delivery company Rappi. They actively sponsor several men’s and women’s football clubs across Central and South America, which has helped achieve its current status as one of the leading home-delivery services in the region.

This status as one of Latin America’s leading technology brands is evidenced by its mobile service that connects customers to food and e-commerce products and delivers them to homes within 10 minutes.

FC Barcelona Marketing Area Vice-President, Juli Guiu, highlighted the deal will be a win for Barca fans in Latin America.

“Through this partnership with Rappi, we are boosting our privileged position in this region and helping to improve the fan experience by connecting with them via imaginative, disruptive actions that drive emotions and empathy,” he said in a statement.

Astrid Mirkin, Chief Marketing Officer of Spanish Markets and Head of Brand/Sponsorships at Rappi, elaborated further on Guiu’s comments regarding fan experience.

“With Rappi becoming the exclusive delivery partner of FC Barcelona in Latin America, we will significantly improve the experiences of both the Rappi customer and the FC Barcelona fan at a key consumption moment,” Mirkin added via press release.

“This partnership with FC Barcelona will allow customers to receive additional special offers during games and drive additional orders to our merchants and couriers.”

FC Barcelona will provide Rappi with LED hoardings at the Olympic Stadium and its spiritual home, Camp Nou, when its renovation is completed. Further benefits for the company come in the shape of hospitality packages and brand association with the Barca Legends team.

Inter-continental relationships, particularly between European football clubs and non-European companies, offer substantial economic benefits that can enrich its impact on both football and society.

In addition, fans across the globe not only benefit from exclusive offers in their region, but get a deeper connection to clubs they support from afar.

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

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Image credit: Melbourne Victory

The Melbourne-based anf family-owned business will join the Victory family, uniting two institutions which represent the city’s culture and identity.

A partnership with local roots

As the newest partner of Melbourne Victory, Roasting Warehouse joins forces with a vital part of the city’s sporting landscape.

The club’s Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, outlined why the partnership bears so much value to both parties.

“We are excited to collaborate with Roasting Warehouse, a community-oriented destination for high-quality coffee, proud of its foundations in Melbourne,” said Carnegie via official media release.

“Football and coffee sit at the epicentre of Melbourne’s culture. The two go hand-in-hand, consistently at the centre of the conversation that stirs Melburnians, which is no different to the conversation sport and Melbourne Victory stir in the State.”

Indeed, this is a partnership which combines the identity, passions and culture of an entire city, therefore giving it the foundations required for long-term, mutual success.

Representing the best of Melbourne

Both Victory and Roasting Warehouse are hugely successful in their respective industries. They are institutions with community-oriented philosphies, who pride themselves on craft and quality.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Melbourne Victory, a club that represents the heart, passion, and ambition of Melbourne,” revealed Roasting Warehouse Head of Brand, Alexander Paraskevopoulos.

“As a Melbourne-founded, family-run business, supporting a team that means so much to the local community feels very natural for us.”

Furthermore, through their high-quality blends, Roasting Warehouse will look to prepare Victory’s players and staff for high performances on the pitch as the seasons nears completion.

But this is about far more than just fueling athletes.

This is a partnership which embodies and unites two of Melbourne’s greatest strengths and cultural markers – a connection forged from the city’s very own DNA.

 

For more information about Roasting Warehouse, click here.

Marie-Louise Eta makes history as new Union Berlin head coach

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Image credit: FC Union Berlin

In an historic appointment, Eta will take over as head coach of Union Berlin until the end of the season.

History in the making

Previously the first female assistant coach in Bundesliga history with Union Berlin, Eta will now take the reigns of the men’s first team on an interim basis.

Currently, the club sit in 11th place in the Bundesliga table, but with only two wins so far in 2026, relegation appears an all-too-real prospect, and one which the club is desperate to avoid.

“Given the points gap in the lower half of the table, our place in the Bundesliga is not yet secure,” said Eta via official media release.

‘I am delighted that the club has entrusted me with this challenging task. One of Union’s strengths has always been, and remains, the ability to pull together in such situations.”

Eta will begin as Union’s new head coach with immediate effect, and will be in the dugout for the club’s matchup against Wolfsburg this weekend.

 

A step into an equal future

Eta’s appointment signals a major step towards a more level playing field in the football landscape.

Furthermore, Eta joins other coaches including Sabrinna Wittmann, Hannah Dingley and Corinne Diacre who, in recent years, have blazed a trail for female coaches to step into the men’s game.

Wittmann currently manages FC Ingolstadt in Germany’s third division, and was the first female head coach in Germany’s top three divisions.

In 2023, Dingley became caretaker manager of Forest Green Rovers, and thus the first woman to lead a men’s professional team in England.

Diacre, now head coach of France’s women’s national team, managed Ligue 2’s Clerment Foot between 2014 and 2017.

 

Final thoughts

The impact therefore, is that Eta’s appointment will show future generations of aspiring female coaches that men’s football is an equally viable and possible pathway as the women’s game.

The time is now to level the playing field.

And while it may be a short-term role, its effect on attitudes towards equality and fair opportunities in the game will hopefully resonate long after the season ends.

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