आईसीटी समाचार
Following the arrest of Israeli crypto entrepreneur Moshe Hogeg — a consultant for the NFT marketplace — FC Barcelona, one of the most profitable football teams in the world, has opted to withdraw a partnership signed earlier this month with non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace Ownix. The club announced the termination in a brief statement on its website, two days before the club's maiden NFT collection sale was set to take place on the platform.
FC Barcelona alleges that connections with Ownix have been severed with immediate effect. Moshe Hogeg, who is rumored to have links to Ownix, was detained on suspicion of being involved in a large cryptocurrency scam. He was detained along with seven other individuals. Hogeg is the co-founder of Sirin Labs, the firm behind the much-hyped blockchain smartphone that was released in 2019, as well as the owner of Israeli football team Beitar Jerusalem. "In light of information obtained that goes against the club's ideals," FC Barcelona said in a statement, "FC Barcelona now notifies the cancellation of the contract to generate and distribute NFT digital assets with Ownix with immediate effect."
Ownix made a statement in reaction to the cancellation, separating the firm from Hogeg and claiming that the 'incidents' occurred years ago. It claims to have ended its consultancy relationship with Hogeg, ostensibly at Hogeg's request. While FC Barcelona sources claim Hogeg was simply a "external advisor" for Ownix, the NFT marketplace refuses to say if Hogeg owned the ONX ICO (initial coin offering) tokens that were generated in late July. FC Barcelona's agreement with Ownix included the launch of NFTs aimed at enhancing the club's financial position while also strengthening ties with its global following.
The series was supposed to incorporate digital mementos from the club's 122-year history, which has an amazing trophy cabinet with 95 domestic and international trophies, including 26 domestic league titles and five UEFA Champions League crowns. The club planned to allow supporters to bid on clips of highlights in online auctions permitted through Ownix's own marketplace, however the club and those at Ownix haven't come up with a solid strategy yet. The fans were then meant to bid on some of the club's most historic occurrences from the previous year that had been captured on camera in order to own a piece of video. In the meanwhile, Ownix said that the Barcelona NFTs will be chosen by a "special joint committee" and then minted, initially as one-off auctions and subsequently as a larger collection.
NFTs have been investigated by football companies and teams with large worldwide fanbases as a means of earning revenue and enhancing fan interaction. Spain's La Liga became the first of Europe's main football leagues to distribute NFTs of all of its players through Sorare, a French digital soccer collectibles site, in September. Porto, AS Roma, and Liverpool are among the other European clubs who have confirmed NFT arrangements.
