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Ramifications of Catalonian independence on football

By on October 8, 2014

<"Més que un club", “More than a club”, Barcelona’s famous and historic tagline, is not Spanish. In Spanish, it would be “Más que un club”. “Més que un club” is Catalan. Since the earliest parts of the club’s history, Barcelona has been more than a club – it has been somewhat as a poster-boy and symbol of Catalan identity. Under Spanish Dictator Francisco Franco, Catalans couldn’t freely voice their wish for independence from Spain, so they used Barcelona FC to do so. Forty years on from Franco’s reign, Barcelona is still Catalonia’s poster-boy, and now may play an even more important role as the referendum, which may yet be binging, for Catalonian independence nears.

It has been conservatively estimated that at least 1,000,000, gathered in protests for Catalan independence in September 2012 in Barcelona, though Barcelona’s Municipal Police estimated that 1,500,000 people gathered to protest. Spain, however, has clearly been downplaying the issue, and Barcelona has become evermore important in getting Catalonia’s voice heard. Now, in the 17th and 14th minute of every home game, Barcelona supporters dedicate the minute to making their voices about Catalonian Independence heard, in memory of the year 1714 in which Barcelona fell to Spain. Every time a Barcelona player announces their support for the Independence vote it makes national headlines – as it did when Xavi and Gerard Piqué did so, the latter actually taking part in protests.

However, while it is a symbol to the people for Catalan Independence, it as a football club will face huge ramifications if Catalonia splits from the rest of Spain. President of the Liga de Futbol Profesional (LPF, Spain’s football governing body) Javier Tebas noted that it would in fact be illegal for Catalonia’s two teams currently competing in La Liga, Barca and Espanyol, to compete in Spain’s top division if Catalonia gains its independence from Spain. “Barcelona and Espanyol would not play in the Spanish League if Catalonia becomes independent for the following reason: the Sports Act has an additional provision that only one non-Spanish state can play in La Liga or official Spanish competitions, and that is Andorra,” Tebas said in an interview with Spanish radio station Onda Cero. Tebas also noted how hard it would be to change the current laws, as well, saying: “For that to take place there would need to be a change in parliament and we’d need to see if the affected industry would agree or not.”

Obviously, this would not only be detrimental to the value and importance of not only the club, but La Liga itself. The league is currently regarded as one of the top five leagues in Europe, and along with the English Premier League one of, if not the, best league in the world. So much of its value, though comes solely from Barca, who have won four of the past six La Liga titles. Their meetings with Real Madrid, called “El Clasico”, are by far the single biggest games of the season, and the league would simply lose a lot of its attraction without the club. There are already questions regarding the competitiveness of La Liga aside from Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, and Barcelona, but without Barca those would become realities.

As for Barca and Espanyol, they would have to join the Catalan top division, and play among many semi-pro teams. And for the former, it would also mean a lack of a means to qualify for the Champions League, a competition they have won three of the past nine seasons, or any other European competition for that matter. If the laws aren’t change, Catalan independence could spell the end of Barcelona and severely dent La Liga’s reputation. It could be a poisoned chalice for Barcelona.

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.