July 17 (Bloomberg) -- Barcelona, the European soccer champion, will promote the United Nations Children's Fund on its jerseys after shunning commercial offers worth 20 million euros ($25.1 million) a year for its first-ever uniform sponsor.

The Spanish team, which rejected offers from companies including online bookmaker BetandWin.com Interactive Entertainment AG, said on its Web site it agreed to a five-year alliance with UNICEF.

Barcelona's form is boosting income from ticket sales, advertising and TV broadcast rights, allowing it to end plans for a commercial sponsor for its burgundy-and-blue jerseys as it seeks to cut debt of 180 million euros.

UNICEF will have its logo on Barcelona's jerseys next season without paying a fee, team spokesman Toni Ruiz said in a phone interview. It hasn't been decided whether the logo will remain on the jerseys for the remaining four years of the five- year alliance, he added.

The official signing of the UNICEF accord will take place in New York on Aug. 11 during the team's preseason tour of the U.S., Barcelona said.

Barcelona is unique among Europe's elite soccer clubs in not having a jersey backer.

On June 16, Barcelona said it agreed to sell broadcast rights for its games to TV production company Grupo Mediapro in a deal worth more than 1 billion euros over seven years, more than double what it currently gets. Sogecable SA, Spain's biggest pay-TV company, says that breaks an existing accord.

To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Duff in Madrid at at aduff4@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: July 17, 2006 06:13 EDT