Barcelona FC Faces Subscriber Loss After LGBT Support Campaign
Barcelona football club faced a substantial decline in social media followers after backing LGBT rights in a public campaign. Reports from World Deportivo, citing Xerpa Studio, outline the impact as subscribers reacted across platforms.
During the Day of Honor on June 28, the Catalan club displayed rainbow flags at the Johan Cruyff Stadium, a venue used by Barcelona B and the women’s team. In response, the club updated its profile images with rainbow colors across its social media accounts.
According to the coverage, Barcelona saw a sharp drop in followers on Instagram, a platform owned by Meta. The company has faced varied regulatory scrutiny in different regions, which some observers linked to broader online policy debates. The same period saw a notable social media shift as the club’s follower count moved downward in the wake of the campaigns.
Blue Garnet, a leading social media analytics account with a large following, reported a high daily churn rate around the time of the announcement. In the first 24 hours after the update, Barcelona lost a significant number of subscribers, with continued declines in the following day as well.
Industry observers note that a notable portion of the top clubs in Spain’s premier league who expressed public support for LGBT initiatives also experienced follower losses. Barcelona’s experience stood out in terms of the scale of the response within the league and among fans.
In on-field matters, Barcelona finished the previous season at the top of the league standings, ten points ahead of Real Madrid. In European competition, the team faced a group-stage exit in the Champions League under the management of Xavi. These performances on the pitch contrasted with the social media reaction off it.
A separate report from a former player discussed topics relating to Barcelona within the context of locker-room conversations, adding to the ongoing wider conversation around club culture and public messaging.