Catalonia latest: Barcelona FC’s part in the Catalonia independence referendum explained

The club’s motto “mès que un club”, more than a club, has never been more evident that in recent weeks.

The team took part in the country-wide strike on Tuesday to protest against “the serious events which took place during the day of the Catalan referendum on independence”.

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At least 893 civilians and 431 police officers were injured during clashes on October 1.

Barcelona star defender Gerard Piqué has consistently stated his strong support for the right to hold a referendum and even threatened to quit playing for Spain if his support for people to vote in a referendum on Catalan independence is regarded as a problem for the national team.Speaking to the press he said “I am and I feel Catalan”, but added “people can vote yes, no or abstain. We just want to vote”.

Speaking to the press he said “I am and I feel Catalan”, but added “people can vote yes, no or abstain. We just want to vote”.

The club has always been political but Fernando Casal Bertoa, Assistant Professor of Comparitive Politics from the University of Nottingham said: “They have become very political lately, especially since Joan Laporta.

“After democratisation Barça has always been friendly to Catalanism.”

He blasted Piqué for his statement, saying: “I think sport and politics should be kept separately.”

Ex-Barça player Laporta is a staunch supporter of Catalan independence, and after leaving the club entered politics and become president of the Catalan Solidarity for Independence party.

Catalonia, four provinces which form one autonomous region in the northeastern part of the country, has its own distinct language, culture and customs, and it is one of Spain’s wealthiest and most productive regions.

While that has always set it apart from Madrid, the region has been pushing for self-government and secession from Spain more assertively since Artur Mas became president of Catalonia in 2010, making independence a central part of his political agenda.

While Catalonians show their desire for ‘independència’ in many forms, including flags flying from their balconies, one of the most prominent ways is at the FC Barcelona games at famed Camp Nou in Barcelona.

Experts say football is tightly linked into their way of life and national identity, so its natural that that fuses together with independence. 

During the Franco dictatorship, Catalan language and culture was repressed, but it was in the FC Barcelona stadium, Camp Nou, that people felt free to wave the banned Catalan flag and sing songs in their native language. 

And Barça’s Catalanism has flourished in the post-Franco Spain of the past 40 years.

Arau Vila, a Catalan journalist said: “FC Barça has always claimed to be ‘mès que un club’ and that means not just that Barça is Catalonia, but also it’s a symbol that Catalonia is more than just a region in Spain.

“Camp Nou has always been a place where people have been able to express themselves freely.”

The idea that FC Barcelona is a place for freedom of expression is key in reinforcing Catalan identity since Franco’s regime ended in 1975 and is still evident now as the stadium is full of Senyeras, the Catalan flag, as well as a chant at 17:14 of every game.

17 minutes and second 14s into every game at Camp Nou the crowd begins to chant because Sept. 11, 1714, is a Catalan national holiday, remembering the day Catalonia was defeated and became a part of Spain. 

Almost any political statement the club makes, like its rapid condemnation of the arrest of Catalan government officials organising the referendum, leads local TV news. 

And when club star Piqué backs the referendum it makes global headlines and makes people who had never heard of Catalonia take notice.

Speaking in 2015 Marc Parramon, of the team’s communications department, said: “FC Barcelona has extensive roots in Catalan society, independent of the different political ideologies of its supporters.

“FC Barcelona, as a sports organisation, does not get involved in political and ideological questions. Nevertheless, it has always stood out for being a club firmly committed to Catalonia, democracy and individual rights and freedoms.”

Former Barça captain Josep Guardiola told a Catalan political rally in June: “We have no other option but to vote.

“We call on the international community to support us and on democrats the world over to help us to defend the rights that are threatened in Catalonia, such as the right of freedom of expression and the right to vote.”

Arnau added: “The club may say that it is neutral about the referendum, but it is clear it embodies the Catalan spirit.”