PART OF LIONEL MESSI’S REMUNERATION AT PSG WILL COME FROM THE CLUB’S FAN TOKENS. WHEN CRYPTOCURRENCIES AND BLOCKCHAIN TAKE TO THE PITCH.

“A world first for such a high profile signing”, according to Paris-Saint-Germain, owned by Qatar. In addition to an estimated annual salary of 41 million EUR net, Lionel Messi received a “welcome package” in the form of fan tokens estimated between 25 and 30 million EUR. On Thursday August 12, the value of the token was estimated at 35 EUR.

Fan tokens are crypto assets linked to the club. Before PSG, other clubs began to exploit them. They are invading the world of professional football. Concretely, they are issued by the Socios.com site, in partnership with the clubs concerned.

Tools of influence

These crypto assets give a right of scrutiny over certain decisions of the club that are not very binding, even minor. Those of PSG, launched in 2018, make it possible for example to “influence the message displayed on the locker room wall to motivate players before a decisive match, vote for the goal of the season or even designate the prize winners. end of season”, indicates the Parisian club. Supporters also get benefits, in the form of gifts or exclusives.

Like other crypto assets, blockchain-based fan tokens are bought and can be sold in a dedicated marketplace. The more chips we have, the more influence we have on the club’s ballots. One way to get fans more involved in many teams. In addition to PSG, FC Barcelona, ​​AC Milan or even the Portuguese national team offer token fans.

Take advantage of a price increase

By offering this gift to Messi, the owners of the club intend to popularize the token to strengthen ties with supporters after a year without an audience in the stadiums. PSG also has every interest in raising prices. After good momentum in 2020, the Parisian token collapsed in the first quarter of 2021 before recovering with the announced arrival of Lionel Messi. In the space of a week, in fact, the price has risen by 38%!

Attractive, the concept has still not established itself. Most token fans have dropped to much lower levels than when they launched. Many supporters do not find their account there. What is more, the movement of these fan tokens tends to follow that of bitcoins, therefore on the downside.

For PSG, this form of remuneration makes it possible to lower the salary promised to the star. As the payroll is increasingly scrutinized by regulators, this compensation method makes sense. Finally, for Messi, the fan tokens could also be a good deal, if those of PSG continued their momentum. On the tax side, the capital gains of crypto assets like bitcoin are subject to the flat tax (30%) for occasional activities (professionals are taxed more), but in a still emerging sector, tax lawyers are not lacking in ideas. to find new montages.