Tensions between governments in Spain and their influences to football
According to a BBC survey, 77% of the population of Spain believes that the country is more divided than 10 years ago. Spain is in Western Europe. It is one of the best known countries in Europe with a very diverse culture. It is one of the most visited countries every year and this is due to its different culture and diversity. Spain is the largest country in southern Europe and has the sixth largest population in Europe (BBC). The capital of Spain is Madrid, which is one of the best known cities in the world. In addition, Barcelona is another city in Spain and this is also equally well known. In fact, Barcelona is considered a more tourist city than Madrid. In Spain there are 17 regions. In each region there is a lot of diversity with festivals and events in different places.
The central region of Spain is the region of the capital of Spain, Madrid. Madrid has a population of 3.293.601 inhabitants. There are many different districts in Madrid. Carabanchel is the district with the largest population. Some other districts called Latina and Puente de Vallecas are also districts with a large population and the two have approximately 240,000 – 250,000 inhabitants. Madrid is a city with many tourist places and is one of the most notable cities in the world. It has a lot of history and the Government of Spain is based in the capital, Madrid. The royal family, the king and all parliaments are in Madrid too. That is why Madrid is the most important city in the country and has a lot of influence to all regions of Spain. Then we will see how the relations between the regions of Spain are and how the Government of Spain is configured.
Another region of Spain is called Catalonia. Catalonia is proud of its own identity and language, it is one of the richest and most industrialized regions in Spain, and also with the most independent mentality. Most of the people who live in the Catalonia region live in Barcelona, but there are also more places such as, for example, Girona, Tarragona and Lleida. The use of Catalan is increasing. It is a language very close to the languages of southern France, and it is now encouraged to use in education. Its variations are also spoken in southern Valencia and the Balearic Islands. When Spain became a Republic in 1931, shortly after Catalonia received its wide autonomy.
With all the history of Spain the people of Catalonia look at themselves as a nation different from the rest of Spain. There are many celebrations, festivals and traditions in Catalonia especially in Barcelona, which is the capital. A very large festival in Barcelona is La Merce. It is a festival that begins in September and lasts 4 days in total. It has been an official city festival since 1871. In this festival there are many activities and shows to visit and participate, for example, "El Correfoc" (or Correfuegos). During this event powerful fireworks are triggered among the people who are participating. People, children and adults must bring appropriate clothes, for example, protective glasses, hooded jackets or thick long -sleeved blouses to protect themselves from flying flares. In addition, there are many more activities such as "the city giants" and the Castellers (or "human towers").
Although these regions are part of the same country among the regions of Spain there are several problems. Specifically between the region of the capital of Spain, Madrid, and Catalonia. These problems have been formed from a deep story. The tensions began a long time ago, but according to many the origin of this problem began after the end of the Spanish War of Succession when the House of Bourbon was established in Spain by King Felipe V. The year 1714 despite the defense of the Catalans for 13 months the Bourbon troops of King Felipe V occupied Barcelona that ceased to be independent. Until 1931 the monarchy tried to impose Spanish and its laws on Catalans, but 1931 the Catalan government was again restored until General Francisco Franco annulled democratic freedoms of not only Catalonia, but also of Spain.
Francisco Franco, who was born on December 4, 1892, entered the Army of Spain when he was young and with time he got into the high military positions. In 1936 Franco became the leader of Spain. A leader is a personalist leader who uses and uses military and political power. In Spain the word can be used interchangeably with dictator.
The civil war in Spain ended in 1938. After the Civil War, Francisco Franco, the General, became Prime Minister and Dictator in Spain with many fascist ideas. A fascist government has only one leader or political party. Fascists are opposed to democracy. As expected, during the time that General Franco had power, Catalan culture was suppressed. For example, in schools the allowed language was only Spanish and it was not allowed to speak in Catalan. Also minority groups could not play their music or dance their dances. One of the minority groups during the time were also the Catalans: thus the life of the Catalans continued for many years.
General Francisco was in office for approximately 39 years and at this time there was a lot of oppression of Catalans and all minorities in Spain. In 1975 Francisco died. After 3 years the Catalonia region won its autonomy with the 1978 Constitution. This Constitution is very important for the Government of Spain and has many details about the regions of Spain. For example, the Constitution establishes the autonomy of the Autonomous Communities of Spain with their own languages and flags. Now the population of Catalonia is 7.5 million also as the population of Switzerland.
The Catalonia region is still fighting for its independence from Spain. Since 1978, many actions have been held such as protests and demonstrations for the independence of Catalonia. In 2017 there was a referendum that was summoned by the Government of Catalonia. According to the results of the referendum, most people in Catalonia supported independence, but, it was not possible to become independent. It is important to mention that in the Parliament of Catalonia the votes favorable to independence won 47.5% and that 8% of parliamentarians did not vote. As mentioned before in Spain, independence people protested in several ways, although the Police of Spain tried to prevent demonstrations in peaceful or violent ways. During this time we can see the difference between the articles of the Catalan media and those that support the capital and usually Spain. For example, "El País" a newspaper from the capital of Spain, Madrid, noticed a lot against the idea of independence. On the other hand, the newspaper of Catalonia "El Español" clearly supported the idea of independence.
Spain is evidently against the idea of the independence of Catalonia, but why? First, GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of Catalonia represents 19% of Spain and the succession of independence can stop 20% of the economy of Spain. It is also important to mention that if Catalonia has independence they will have a better GDP than countries like South Korea and Italy. With this comparison we can see that the economy of Catalonia, if it manages to obtain its independence, will be very strong. At the end of the day Catalonia is a vital region for the country in all aspects. The economy of Catalonia helps in many ways to Spain. For example, tourism in Barcelona is higher than in many other Spanish cities. Catalonia hosted more than 44 million passengers in Barcelona and the cut beaches. The economy of Catalonia is very strong and if it becomes independent, it can surely substantiate a healthy country.
It is obvious that it is not only the story that shows us why there is the need for independence in Catalonia. Apart from the factors we have seen there are more factors that impact the desire for independence.
The culture of many countries is formed with many different aspects such as different dances, music or types of food. For example, the merengue dance forms a large part of the culture of the Dominican Republic. Peru is known for its food as the ceviche or jumps. We can see that each country has a very essential thing in its culture and this is recognized as its symbol. Likewise, culture in Catalonia is very different from that of other parts of Spain. For example, only in Catalonia the sardana is danced, a typical dance of the region.
Spain is usually well known for its culture. A large part of the culture of Spain are its sports and more specifically football. In Spain people have a lot of passion for this sport and this is because football was introduced in Spain many years ago.
The Spanish League was created unofficially in 1920. Today the League is composed of 20 teams representing the different parts of Spain. The League has always been very important for people and its team. Real Madrid is the team that with 33 trophies has won the league more times than the other clubs. Barca is in the second position and Atlético Madrid in the third. This brings a great anticipation every year to see the games among the greatest clubs and to see what the team will win the tournament. This moment Real Madrid is the kings of the Spanish League and Europe, but in the past Spanish teams have also been winners of the titles. Many things have changed since the past and there are always things in the league that continue to change. For example, in the 1934-35 season only 12 teams participated. Actually, it was not until 1984 that the Federation of the Football League (Royal Spanish Football Federation) was established (Royal Football Federation) . However, football was part of the life of the Spaniards before this year.
The Spaniards have a lot of pride, emotion and passion with their club or their team. It may be for this reason that the Government of Spain was accused of helping certain clubs with several ways. For example, it is said that the government helps Real Madrid, Barcelona and five other clubs reducing the taxes they have to pay. It is clear that this is a violation of FIFA laws. FIFA article 17 says that, any member of the association that does so can be suspended, resulting to exclusion is its national team. In fact, Spain already ran the risk of being expelled once from the 2008 Europe.
In 1902, the King of Spain Alfonso XII created a tournament and invited the Club of Barcelona and the Real Madrid club and the rest has been history. The two clubs are very important for sport today because they have many fans and support throughout Spain and in the world. From 1920 to today the two are rivals and when they all play in the country they see the game. Essentially, the party is between the capital of Spain and the capital of Catalonia as the two parts of the country already have a great history and rivalry between them. The two clubs have a lot. Real Madrid plays against Barcelona at least 2 times every year in the League of Spain, but it is also possible that they are more times during the Copa del Rey or in the European Cup. Until today, they have played 228 times;Madrid has won 92 times and Barcelona has won 89 times. Other times they tied.
In many football matches fans prepare posters that upload them when players enter and in most cases these posters create great
Messages with images and text. These images are called "typhos". Atlético de Madrid typhos are known for their wonder and the variety of their colors. However, these typhos sometimes have some political or significant message for the club or the city. For example, at the Camp Nou in Barcelona, the message says "Més that a club". This motto has a bigger significant than a motto of any soccer team. With this motto the "Football Club Barcelona" intends to be an ambassador and defender of the rights and freedoms of all Catalans. It is also important to mention that the message is in Catalan and that is another important detail that shows the connection between club, culture, history and Catalan identity. However, in the case of Barcelona we can also see that this Catalan orientation in the past caused political problems during Franco’s time. Also during the 2017 referendum we saw that the president of the club, Josep Maria Bartomeu, supported the independence of Catalonia that was evidently against the wishes of the Spanish government. Specifically Bartolomeu said in his speech that "Barcelona cannot turn its back on political reality in Catalonia.".
We can see that football in Spain is affected by political problems between Catalonia and the capital of Spain, that is, the government. Many of the players, coaches and presidents of most of the large clubs in Spain are active and loud with their voice about the problems that occur in the country. A great example in the world of football is Pep Guardiola who is probably the best football coach of our time. He always carries a yellow bond in his jacket. This bond is a symbol of Catalonia and the idea of independence. The media talk a lot about this, for example, the public newspaper. Although FIFA prohibits government intervention or the expression of political ideas through football, fans already know that PEP is in favor of the independence of Catalonia for the yellow loop that always put in their clothes. Another example of a football character who talks a lot about political issues is Gerard Piqué, FC Barcelona footballer. During the 2014 and 2017 referendum he did not hesitate to show his opinion without fear. The Barcelona player said that, “from today to Sunday, let us express peacefully. Do not give them any excuse. Is what they want. And let’s sing very high and very strong ”, attaching the #VotaM label. Piqué used Twitter to express his support for the independence of Catalonia. As Twitter is a very popular means of communication worldwide people responded to their messages supporting their opinion or expressing themselves against them. With this we see that political ideas are presented a lot in sports. The two examples that we have mentioned a player and a coach of Barcelona. Then we can see that Barcelona, as I said before, symbolizes Catalonia and its independence, but on the other hand Real Madrid symbolizes the government and the state of Spain.
In their ridges the two teams have symbols of the city’s perspective and the club. For example, on the crest of Barcelona there is the cross of San Jorge that symbolizes Catalonia during the Renaixença that was a cultural movement for the Catalans in Spain. (The Mirror UK) Also red and yellow stripes represent Catalonia and their ideals. In fact, stripes are a part of the flag of Spain. But on the contrary, the Real Madrid crest represents the Government and the King of Spain. The crest has a crown that significantly represents a king and his power. The crown that is part of the Real Madrid crest is the same as the Crown of the Crest of Spain. So it is seen that political ideas are presented on club ridges too. Many people say that with sports we can solve problems in a society and, as we can see, in Spain sports are a way of gathering people.
However, there are also many people who are against the idea that politics mixes with sports. For example, during an interview I did in Madrid on the issue of governments’ interventions in sports, the interviewee said: "There have always been tensions between Madrid and Catalonia", but also said that in his opinion "the government does notIt should intervene in football and also in the other sports because it is not competition of the government or the state.”He said that sports have nothing to do with political problems. He also mentioned that in his opinion Catalonia will not have independence but that Spain will be a federal country. According to Spain, it is now a country with a monarchy with regional regions. Other countries with this type of government are France and Italy. On the contrary, a federal country is a country that has a central government but also small governments in each region or state. An example of a country with a federal government is the United States that has a central government in Washington D.C. But in each state there is a small government that has power to put different laws. Thus we can see that tensions between Catalonia and Madrid have affected sports inevitably.
On the same subject I also conducted another interview with Fernando Zapico, the "International Relations Advisor at the Ministry of Education of Spain". Mr. Zapico has another perspective, that of a man who lives in Madrid. He is from Gijón and works in the government. According to him the tensions between Madrid and Catalonia were not a reality until the separatist impulse began using the mass propaganda war. Barcelona has always had a very positive image in the rest of the country: this only began to change in the 1990s.
Then I asked about the future. He declares that independence is feasible. It will not happen only by the force of the State, as the separatists say, but because less than 50% of the Catalans support this. There would be internal war instead of independence.
As expected, Fernando is a fan of Gijón above all, but also supports Real Madrid. When I asked how football tensions affected, he declared that, although Real Madrid had never allowed the team or fans to show any political message, FC Barcelona has become one of the fundamental elements of separatist propaganda. The non -nationalist members of the club are ignored and most players assume that FC Barcelona represents this separatist ideal. Then he continued with the fact that football activities are being armed by separatist activists. This fact has a very negative impact, since this campaign only increases the negative feelings towards the ‘enemy’.
Due to the fact that he works for the Government, I asked him what he thought the government should do. Should you intervene with sports or not? He replied that the government is terribly tolerant with the exhibition of political symbols in the stadiums. This, which occurs regularly in Barcelona, must be prohibited, as in most countries. Message exhibition occurs because separatists know that football is one of the best marketing strategies to reach foreigners who are not aware of what is happening in Spain.
In the opinion of many Spaniards as Mr. Zapico is that the relationship between Madrid and Catalonia was very good until the political party of the separatists had been created. They for many are the cause of these tensions and problems between the regions of Spain that want their independence from Spain as Catalonia. The separatists have a flag that resets exactly the stripes in the flag of Barcelona. Also the members of the political party of the separatists carry the same bond that Pep Guardiola carries the Catalan coach that was mentioned above. Joaquim Torra is the president of the Region of Catalonia. He was the seventh president of Catalonia since Spain became a democracy again in 1978. The goal of Quim Torra is to make Catalonia to an independent republic. "Yes, I am radical, a radical because I like to get to the bottom of the problems,” Torra said on May 12 in a debate in the Catalan Parliament while responding to the accusations of the Pro-Spanish deputies who said he was an extremist ”.
To conclude, with a lotMuch more emotion games than others. For example, if General Franco had not believed this tension, the rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona may not be present. In the opinion of many Spaniards, in general, Madrid, the tensions originate from the separatists in Catalonia. In this process we also know that governments are very complicated and if there is a conflict within a government this will cause many effects to society and culture in general, especially in football because football has a lot of power and can transmit many messages.
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