Barça to Save the World (or at least its children)

Another reason to love the home of Ronaldinho, Thuram, Messi, Deco et al. Today Barça president Joan Laporta announced that the club will begin sporting the UNICEF logo on its shirts in next Tuesday's Champions League match with Levski Sofia, signaling its five-year agreement with the organization. Under the deal, announced Wednesday, the team will contribute about Euro1.5 million to UNICEF every year. The logo will bear the slogan "Barcelona, more than a club, a new global hope for vulnerable children." (For such a noble effort, that sure is one sucky slogan. You know some bureaucrat at UNICEF wrote it. Blech.)

I think this is ridiculously cool, and other teams (ahem, Chelsea, Real Madrid, AC Milan) would do well to emulate them.

As we all know, the front of Barcelona's maroon and blue striped jersey has never carried advertising in competitive games, although the team has advertised Catalan station TV3 on the left arm of its shirt since 2005.

Mes que un club indeed.