Barcelona cancels preseason trip to Japan following dispute with tour promoter

“FC Barcelona announces that it has been forced to suspend its participation in the match scheduled for this coming Sunday in Japan due to a serious breach of contract by the promoter.

However, the club will consider traveling to South Korea, where two matches are scheduled against FC Seoul (July 31st) and Daegu FC (August 4th), provided certain conditions are met by the promoter.

If these conditions are met, the team will travel to South Korea in the coming days. FC Barcelona regrets this incident and the impact on the many Barcelona fans in Japan," the Blaugrana statement read.

It's all about the money. Specifically, the agreed-upon sum for the friendly against Vissel Kobe has not been deposited into Barcelona's account. However, promoter D-DRIVE blames Yasuda Group, the main sponsor of Real Sociedad, with whom the arrangements were made.

"D-DRIVE was supposed to receive full payment for the match today (Wednesday). However, the funds ultimately did not arrive. Yasuda Group repeatedly provided invalid and falsified documents, deceiving us with the false claim that the payment had already been transferred to South Korea.

"We have obtained an audio recording from a Yasuda Group employee stating that their CEO ultimately did not send the money, clearly confirming the intentional fraud," explained Seul Ham, CEO of D-DRIVE, the official promoter of the FC Barcelona 2025 Asian Tour, via GSP.

Ham assures that "we will take legal action against the responsible Japanese entities to recover damages. In South Korea, the promoter has fully prepared for the matches and covered all related costs. To date, only the flight expenses remain outstanding. To our fans in South Korea: we assure you that you will experience unforgettable matches."

After the Asian tour, Barça will play the Joan Gamper Trophy against Como on August 10th. Their LaLiga campaign kicks off on August 16th against Mallorca.