[mani]

Could it be?! Hats off to Barcelona i say!

European champion FC Barcelona will reportedly sport the Unicef logotype on its shirts after it signs a collaborative agreement with the children's charity next week.

The front of Barcelona's dark red and blue striped jersey has never carried advertising in competitive games but the club will reportedly make its first break with tradition on September 12, when it hosts Levski Sofia in the Champions League.

Barcelona has advertised Catalan station TV3 on the left arm of its shirt since 2005. Under the agreement, which will bear the slogan "Barcelona, more than a club, a new global hope for vulnerable children," the Catalan team will contribute to the financing of Unicef humanitarian projects.

Barcelona, the only major European team not to wear an advertisement, has in the past negotiated with Chinese authorities to advertise the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and Austrian online betting company BetandWin. Neither deal was finalised.

Club president Joan Laporta then announced that the team had ruled out any type of commercial shirt sponsorship and would instead seek to promote a humanitarian message.