FC Barcelona terminates deal with Ownix

The professional Spain-based football club FC Barcelona has cut its ties with the Ethereum- based NFT marketplace Ownix five days before its NFT collection auction is scheduled. The partnership aimed to remember and honor 122 years of the Club and to increase the Club’s international exposure.

TheCoinRise reported the entry of the football club in the NFT world recently. The fallen deal involved the auction of the NFT collection, which included the representation of 95 domestic and international victory trophies of FC Barcelona. The NFT collection also includes 26 national leagues and five UEFA Champions League trophy NFTs.

The Club has decided to launch the collection in the first week of November, but it has been delayed since then. Guy Elhanani, the CEO of Ownix, revealed that the partnership includes some additional NFTs that will be released in the upcoming days.

Why did FC Barcelona cancel the deal?

FC Barcelona, on its website, mentioned that the partnership with Ownix NFT marketplace had been canceled due to the arrest of Moshe Hogeg, the famous Israeli crypto tycoon with allegations of sexual assault and crypto fraud. News agency The Associated Press reports that the Ownix has ties with the Hogeg and is still promoting the NFT Launch. The website stated:

In light of information received today that goes against the Club’s values, FC Barcelona hereby communicates the cancellation of the contract to create and market NFT digital assets with Ownix with immediate effect.”

According to the reports, the crypto mogul, known for being behind multiple blockchain-based startups, including Sirin Labs, was arrested with seven partners and employees recently. The local outlet says that a total of eight suspects have been arrested under the suspicion of crypto-related fraudulent actions, amounting to millions of shekels.

The NFT collection launch includes remarks the Joan Laporta, FC Barcelona president, and other “key members” of the Club. Recently, Bundesliga also participated in the NFT industry as reported by our journalists.