There are only a few weeks to be played one of the parties closer together on a global level (1,000 million televised hearing, see post Real Madrid-Barcelona: a classic macro figures ) , which this year takes on special connotations when we consider that the club is going through one of the best moments of its history and the Real Madrid seems to emerge with the figure of Mourinho. But beyond the sport, why the interest in this game and the rivalry between the clubs? In my book Soccer Phenomenon Phenomena story part of it. Understand the meaning of the "great classic" implies a walk through the personal history of Catalonia and the English state. In the late nineteenth century, Barcelona was an important industrial region with a commercial activity. Only U.S., Britain and France could compete with the Catalan textile production. However, although Catalonia had a significant economic role, political power was concentrated in Madrid, so that the interests of central government and Catalan capitalists collide head on. For nationalists, Catalonia was a symbol of modernity and progress, while Madrid was a symbol of underdevelopment and backwardness. While the center was struggling to get ahead, the Catalan bourgeoisie opened its doors to foreign influence through trade.
This Catalan supremacy did not like the English State that looked like a separatist region of ideas. For their part, accused the State Catalans insensitivity to social reality. In this historical context emerged the Barcelona Football Club which was officially founded on November 29 1899 by Swiss Joan Gamper. A year later, on October 28, 1900, at the initiative of Angel Rodriguez, born the English Society of Football, which later would be called the English Football Club, in 1912, awarding the title of "real" by Alfonso XIII, Real Club Deportivo English. The club Espanyol, composed of Spaniards, born in reaction to the Catalan club, formed mostly by foreigners. Soon, the rivalry between the teams became obvious. The name "English" in the first place, and the title of "real" then, were not pleased the fans who saw both culé provocative symbols to represent Catalonia. Thus the English RCD became the main rival of FC Barcelona, \u200b\u200b"the specter of centralism in its own" and therefore "the enemy within to fight." Marca collected in its pages: "While the English were a team made up of good patriot and healthy English, Catalan Barcelona was to the bone making propaganda of a regime intolerable."
addition, the club from its origins blaugrana actively expressed their political sympathies participating in numerous events to vindicate the cause Catalan blanquizaul something the club did not do: "The English and Barcelona had a mask too small so they do not immediately guess the true meaning of them. The sport was the mask that covered the political sense. One, the English, led by a touch-known personalities such as English and patriotic and, drawn into the struggle, sought to enlarge his own money to the club and its name, to show to rival what they could a bunch of good English were where they were. Another, Barcelona, \u200b\u200bconstantly engaged in giving within Catalan society to the tone in his correspondence, he went with colored flags to Catalan political acts. "
The June 14, 1915, Barcelona and competed in Jupiter -old Les Corts stadium of FC Barcelona club - a party in honor of the Orfeo Catalan. The band of a British ship docked at the half time advantage to play the English national anthem. The 12,000 attendees present Catalans began to boo. Contempt cost the club a penalty, the stadium was closed 6 months and Gamper was forced into exile.
During the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera (1923-1929) Catalan flag was removed and the official language was abolished. With the two main modes of expression eliminated, many saw in Barcelona a way to express their reaction against the regime and a symbol of nationalist resistance, so you joined the club culé . Barça flag replaced the senyera in political demonstrations of the era, which served to further strengthen the link between the team and Catalan autonomy: "English football has played some political grandstanding at certain times. Its members and supporters have often served the convening power of the entity to make it flag pin. Some clubs have themselves been the most obvious representation of a political movement at times it has been pursued. "
With the proclamation of the Republic on April 14, 1931, opened a new chapter in the history of Spain. In 1932, recognizing the differential nature of Catalonia at the time the English RCD was stripped of the title of "real." However, the civil war (1936-39), the defeat of the Republic and the arrival of the generalissimo to power marked a new stage. The invention of Barça as "an army without weapons stateless nation "or" the sublime epic of the Catalan people in a football team became more evident with Franco in power. To make matters worse, the president of Barcelona, \u200b\u200bJosep Sunyol, had been shot in 1936 by the National Coalition: "The ship was the symbol of the political position of the national bourgeoisie and petty bourgeoisie to Catalan civil war, then was the only form of elliptical expression of a set of feelings. The main evidence for this assertion lies in the fact that immigrants are integrated Barça fans, non-integrated, the English. "
With the Leader, the football rivalry with a regional character through the confrontation between parakeets and Catalans, was in second place and moved to the clash between Real Madrid-English-symbol and Barcelona, \u200b\u200bthe Catalan symbol. Franco, like Primo de Rivera, attempted to eliminate any outbreak nationalist, but while the latter also reacted overwhelmingly against Barca, the first, more intelligent, saw the club culé as a lesser evil to live and the by which the Catalans could vent: "[Franco] tried to erase all the regional rivalries in Spain, except in football. Promoted football as a healthy environment for regions to release tension. As the Catalans were not political parties or regional government or any right to use their language, put all their cultural pride in the club. In a Barca game, people could shout in Catalan and sing traditional songs when I could not do anywhere else. "
Soon, football as a catalyst for regional opposition acquired a greater dimension, "What is very clear in the English football is that sport Balompédica is, in fact, a weekly political confrontation. The Real Madrid is something, and knows Barcelona, \u200b\u200bthe club is another thing too, and so does Real Madrid. " The president of Real Madrid, Santiago Bernabeu, referring to the president of RCD English between 1967 and 1969, Juan Vila-Reyes, said: "I admire him for president in Catalonia a club called English. It does have merit. " For the writer Vázquez Montalbán, "Barcelona and Real Madrid are more than a club because they assume political values \u200b\u200badded. Barcelona would be a and disarmed the army symbolic of Catalan nationalism, and Real Madrid, the English state representative, a role that was attributed at the time of Franco. "
During the dictatorship, Barça would be booked into the archives of the General Security Directorate, as "hostile and dangerous element to the regime." In the case opened the club with the number 29708, was detailed: "The club operates its rivalry with the English to Catalan politics and a passionate public around him, mostly separatist ideas." Vazquez Montalban wrote: "Fourth on the list organizations to purge, after the Communists, anarchists and separatists, was the Barcelona Football Club. "
In 1943, both clubs should be measured in semi-finals of the Copa del General. At that time, had decreed an amnesty that covered the exiles during the war. In the military ship three players who had been fleeing after an American tour with the club. The first leg at Les Corts was resolved in favor of Catalan 3-0. Before the start of the second leg, one of the top security officials went into the locker room and reminded them blaugrana: "Do not forget that some of you are playing you, only, to the generosity of the scheme, have forgotten your lack of patriotism." club FC Barcelona was a resounding rout : 11-1. Samarach realized the incident in the newspaper La Prensa . The chronicle was the subject of congratulations for the daring policy Barcelona but earned him an exemplary punishment and had to stop writing. The article said: "Maybe if it had been 4-0 victory would overturn us to criticize this or that player from Barcelona. But a 11-1 lead are ten goals. Many, too, for not find another reason that may explain this result. If the Catalans had played bad, really bad, the score had not reached the astronomical figure. What happens is that they did not play. "
Philosophy culé
Barça philosophy is defined by the slogan coined by Mercè Cirici and Valera in 1975 "more than a club", a phrase that explicitly summarizes the values represents the Blaugrana: "Rarely has so short a sentence could mean many things. When someone said that FC Barcelona was just a club, was alluding to a surprising phenomenon, and we believe unique in the world, a covered sports institution of such importance. " Another president of the institution, Narcis de Carreras, put it in these terms: "We are what we are and represent what we stand" as the leader Agustí Montal i Costa (1969-1977): "Barça is more than one club. One of the successes of Barcelona is its power as an entity inclusive of people who come to our land and is identified by our club with our way of being. "
One of the most important events in the history of the club as an institution was the memorable 5-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium the night of February 18, 1974, with Cruyff as orchestra. Some reviews point referred to pejoratively as the transition process towards democracy began in December 1973 with the assassination of Admiral Carrero Blanco, but that night epic: "Barcelona had just defeated their deadly rivals Real Madrid, and virtually all the world young and old, men and women alike, took to the streets to celebrate. That night there was more Senyera red and yellow flags Barca Barca, particularly along the Ramblas and Catalunya square, and the crowd sang the song Catalan was banned anthem, Els segadors. " The humiliation was used for some qualify this year as the 1900 zero five. Even today the feat is still celebrated: "There are victories that are so joyously heartfelt plea of \u200b\u200bcelebrations marked anniversaries. For Barca is almost the holy day of the 1974 0-5 at the Estadio Bernabeu. The twentieth anniversary of that feat did not go unnoticed. Humiliate the other hand, even with ephemera that have had thousands of members, is part of the ongoing conflict. "
With democracy on the march
On December 28, 1975, shortly after the death of Franco, the Real Madrid was playing at the Nou Camp. The Catalans looked forward to the meeting. Many Catalan flags snuck into the stadium. The home team won 2-1. The crowd erupted with joy and celebrated the victory politically flavored sports. Years later and now with more consolidated democracy in a historic final of the Copa del Rey in 1983, the club is placed on its arch rival 2-1, victory to the Socialist mayor of the Catalan city, Pascual Maragall, called : "This victory fulfills the wishes of an entire people."
Barça president until 2010, Joan Laporta, also showed his Catalan during his official visit to Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2005. In his speech to the country's authorities said: "The Barça is a club of Barcelona, \u200b\u200bcapital of Spain, Catalunya. We are proud to be Catalan and here we can express those feelings with the same pride that you say that you are Bosnian. " In an interview with El Mundo, the official said: "The Barça is a multifaceted club promotes values \u200b\u200bthat are universal such as citizenship, sportsmanship and the fact that differential is a Catalan football club is well connected and linked with the Catalan society. Barça For Catalan, the Catalan club is very important. " And also: "The Barca Catalan is a reality. It is understood, understood and accepted all over Barcelona. Our policy is Catalan. The club has historically had a special role to promote the values \u200b\u200bof Catalan. At the political level has also had that role. Since its inception, Gamper, who was Swiss, he had the ability to link the Catalan club. In the 20's, the entity is positioned in such areas as support for the statute and was considered to Barcelona as the Catalan club. Now we are more than one club in Catalonia more than a club in Spain and we are in the framework of a corporate strategy to be more than one club in the world. "
Currently (as always) in Barça Barça wins are celebrated by the Barça soci a "Visca Barça!" Followed by an unconditional "Visca Catalunya! "ideological symbol of the identity of the club with Catalan regionalism.
0 comments:
Post a Comment