The Liga fixture between Barça and Getafe this Saturday at 4.00pm CET at the Camp Nou is to be preceded by a solidarity action promoted by the club to show its support for the Chinese people affected by the coronavirus outbreak. Visitors Getafe have also agreed to get involved and both teams will be coming onto the field in the company of boys and girls from the Penya Dracs Units Xinesos, the Chinese Barça supporters club based in the city, wearing a shirt with the message Stronger Together in English and 中国加油 in Chinese, meaning “Support for China”. The message Stronger Together will also be appearing on a canvas laid out on the pitch both in English and Chinese.

The club is thus making good of its global influence to express its solidarity and support for China, and especially the people affected by a virus that has already led to over 1,300 deaths and 60,000 people infected in the country. Stronger Together expresses how, in a globalised world, the outbreak of an epidemic like coronavirus is something that could happen anywhere at any time, and could affect anybody. The message is that we should all stick together in the face of adversity.

The club also wants to make a stand against the stigmatisation and even discrimination against Chinese people since the coronavirus appeared. The struggle against social exclusion and discrimination is one of the goals of the Barça Foundation and in cases like these the aim is to raise awareness against the discrimination of anyone on the basis of their origin, race or ethnicity.

Barça in China

FC Barcelona has close sporting and social relations with China. Since 2013, it has had a permanent office in Hong Kong, and according to the latest Kantar 2019 study, it was the most famous and most followed club in the country. This fact is evidenced in Barça’s digital accounts, where the club has more than 9 million followers, making it the leading online club in China.

The club also has six Barça Academies in the cities of Haikou, Chengdu, Qingdao, Lijiang, Kunming and Fuxian Lake.

Statement by Emili Rousaud, FC Barcelona institutional vice-president

"Given the health crisis in China with the coronavirus, and taking advantage of the global impact of a game of football at the Camp Nou, Barça wishes to send out a message of support and solidarity to the Chinese people. As one of the most loved clubs in China, and in awareness of our responsibility, we would also like to make a call for nobody to feel excluded as a result of this difficult situation”.