TheCable

Barcelona fans donning jerseys embossed with Qatar Airways logo in Saudi Arabia could be punished with up to 15 years in prison and fined €135,000.

The new law follows the severing of diplomatic ties with Qatar, who the Saudi Kingdom this week accused of supporting ISIS.

Barcelona’s deal with the Qatar Sports Investment in 2011 was historic for the club as it was the first time the Catalans had a sponsor on their shirt.

The Catalans are however switching shirt sponsors to Japanese online retailer Rakuten as from the 2017/18 season as the Qatar deal ends on June 30.

Paris Saint-Germain were also affected this week as the Ligue 1 club’s Qatari owners have a shirt sponsorship deal with Emirates.

Saudi Arabia shut its borders to Qatar and closed transport links between the countries, including flights.

This could have an adverse effect on preparations for the 2022 World Cup, restricting access to the country for the supply of materials for ongoing building projects.