FC Barcelona has approved a 25-year agreement with Babylon Park to develop a new FC Barcelona-themed family entertainment centre inside Spotify Camp Nou, but the deal has quickly sparked backlash over the company’s Israeli origins and ownership.
The agreement was ratified during the club’s Ordinary General Assembly on September 19, with 252 votes in favour, 158 against, 31 blank ballots and 10 abstentions. The vote gave Babylon Park Spain SL the green light to develop and operate the entertainment centre as part of the wider Espai Barça project.
Why Is the Deal Facing Backlash?
The controversy largely centres on Babylon Park’s links to Israel. Records show that it was established as a wholly owned subsidiary of Babylon Park UK Play & Entertainment Ltd. The same records list Efi Malka Efraim as its current sole administrator.
The backlash has come from pro-Palestinian campaigners, commentators and some Barça supporters, who have questioned the decision to enter into a long-term commercial agreement with a company rumoured to be linked to Israel amid the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Campaigners had also urged club members to reject the agreement ahead of the vote.
The reaction has also opened up a wider conversation among supporters about FC Barcelona’s identity and its commercial expansion, particularly around how the club balances its historical values and public positions with its growing business interests.
So, What Is Babylon Park Bringing to Camp Nou?
The approved agreement gives Babylon Park a 25-year licence to develop and operate a roughly 900-square-metre indoor entertainment centre at Spotify Camp Nou.
According to FC Barcelona, the venue will be themed around the club and will combine football-related experiences with family entertainment. The project is part of the club’s broader plans to expand the commercial use of the renovated stadium beyond matchdays.
The partnership is also intended to go beyond the Camp Nou location. FC Barcelona says the two sides will work towards gradually developing additional Barça-themed entertainment centres across Catalonia, with the possibility of eventually expanding into international markets.
For now, the project remains one part of the wider commercial plans surrounding the revamped Camp Nou. But following the Assembly vote, the proposed children’s entertainment centre has become the subject of a much larger debate over the club’s business partnerships and its relationship with supporters during the ongoing Israeli genocidal war on Gaza.
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