Rakuten's Decision Ends Controversy Over Cancellation Of The First Tour Barcelona Squad Will Soon Fly To Kobe
Jul 24, 2025
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Barcelona shocked the public by announcing on its official website on the 24th (Korea time) that it would cancel the pre-season Asian Tour friendly match against Japan's Vissel Kobe. 'As a result of the promoter's serious breach of contract, he will not be able to participate in the scheduled game in Japan on the weekend (27th)' We deeply regret the impact this will have on many fans in Japan'
Barcelona was scheduled to play a friendly match against J-League team Vissel Kobe in Kobe, Japan, at 7 p.m. on the 27th and then move to Korea and play FC Seoul at Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m. on the 31st and Daegu FC at Daegu Stadium at 8 p.m. on August 4th.
However, there was an unexpected variable in the schedule that D-Drive, a Korean promoter run by CEO Hamseul, who has had a special friendship with the Spanish Football Association and La Liga, communicated directly with the Barcelona club and promoted it ambitiously. Problems occurred during the deposit process of Yasuda Group, a joint promoter and partner of the Japanese side.
After Barcelona's announcement of cancellation of its trip to Japan, D-Drive said in an official statement, "'All Korean tours will proceed normally as scheduled without any changes.'"Suspicions have been raised that the group embezzled about 12 billion won in the balance of charges to be paid by Rakuten, a Japanese sponsor.
CEO Hamseul D-Drive said, `This is a one-sided issue on the Japanese side and has nothing to do with the Korean tour"We plan to take strong legal action against Yasuda Group's embezzlement of funds and non-compliance with the contract."
CEO Ham and the Japanese company Rakuten, a Barcelona sponsor and Asian tour sponsor, moved quickly by communicating with Barcelona's local area in an unprecedented absurd incident that occurred just before the Barcelona team's Asian tour.
On the night of the 24th, local media in Spain reported that 'Barcelona's team will board a flight to Japan' A series of media outlets, including Spanish media Sport, Cadena Coffe and Bisaker, will eventually head to Japan despite Barcelona announcing its cancellation to Japan just 17 hours ago. 'We have cancelled the match against Visselgove scheduled for Sunday, but it looks like we can somehow proceed with the match.'
Barcelona announced the cancellation of their trip to Japan at a time when the expenses needed for the friendly have not been deposited, but promoter D-Drive has since been YasudaAfter accusing the group of fraud and embezzlement, the situation changed drastically when its sponsor Rakuten decided to cover all the costs needed for the Vissel Kobe war. Spain's media outlet Sport reported that the Barcelona squad will be on a flight to Japan between Thursday and Friday as Rakuten completes its payment. The situation was resolved by Rakuten, which is the main sponsor and has a strong relationship with both Barcelona and Vissel Kobe, paying the unpaid amount instead. After confirming the balance payment, Barcelona resumed preparations for the Japanese tour'
'Barcelona ended up heading to Japan. The latest controversy over the tour has finally been resolved and Barcelona have officially confirmed that they will play Vissel Kobe in a friendly match on Sunday, July 27 as scheduled' Rakuten has played an important role in resolving the situation. Yasuda, the organizer of the game, failed to fulfill some of its financial obligations, but Rakuten paid for it instead, which solved the problem. After the balance was paid, the Barcelona club reviewed the situation once again and finally decided to play as promised' 'Vissel Kobe also appears to have been aware of the situation and has continued to sell tickets despite the announcement of the suspension. The Barcelona club has reactivated air bookings and resumed preparations for the Japanese tour, it said. D-Drive's side also "I understand that the Barcelona squad is moving to the airport soon. Train to Kobe, Japan is imminent. Of course, the Korean tour will be held normally."
Reporter Jeon Young-ji sky4us@sportschosun.com
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
