¡Pep per al President!
Many Spanish fútbol figures have advocated for Catalan independence. These figures include Carlos Puyol, Johan Cruyff, Gerard Pique, Xavi Hernandez, Joseph Maria Bartomeu (Barcelona President), and the one and only Pep Guardiola. Out of all the aforementioned, Pep has argueably been the most outspoken supporter of the Catalan independence movement. Pep shocked the world when he agreed to become a candidate for Junts per Si (Together for Yes) pro-independence party. Although he could never have realistically accepted this role, it was a very symbolic gesture for the movement.
This support of many footballers which includes past and present coaches and players, leads to a very important discussion. Given what has already been examined with the potential negative effects on Barcelona including the possible removal from La Liga, it is interesting to see that these figures support the Catalan drive. Clearly, they must know of these effects of independence on their home, FC Barcelona.
Why would these footballers want Catalonian independence if it could hurt their club structurally and financially?
How could these footballers endorsing independence benefit from the success of this social development?
Pep Guardiola casting his pro-independence vote.
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jul/20/pep-guardiola-lends-name-catalonian-separatist-party
To them, FC Barcelona is representing the qualities of Catalan. Its wants independence no matter the cost. To Barcelona, it knows that as a team, it could play in any league any figure out financial structures through another means.
ResponderEliminarIf Barcelona is not in a league it would lose extraordinary amounts of capital from broadcast revenues. Although it may be able to join another league, it would most likely have a gap of time before there were able to compete in it. Time off = lose of potential revenues. Good point about Catalan desires for independence.
Eliminar-Colin
The people who want independence are true to Barcelona's roots, and not simply just fans of the football club. This concept of independence goes deeper for them and they are probably confident that they could figure out the football situation even if they declare independence.
ResponderEliminarWhat it comes down to would be independence or good business. Which do you think that the executives at FC Barcelona would choose?
EliminarDespite being extremely involved with FC Barca, these people have other concerns and matters that they find personally important. Catalan independence is clearly one of them. The impact on the team and its association with La Liga is not certain one way or another, and these pro-independence members must see hope for both.
ResponderEliminar-Darcy Horn
Excellent point here, nothing has actually happened as of yet. If you were a pro footballer who also wanted independence, which would you choose? To keep Barca in La Liga performing at a high level, or independence for your people?
Eliminar-Colin
Catalan independence is deeply rooted in the people of this region and is more important than a soccer team. Since FC Barcelona is such a great team and has the star power of its players, it would not be a problem to find a league to play in or to support themselves financially. Independence is the primary focus and should be if the people want it.
ResponderEliminarI am sure you are screaming your lungs out at Camp Nou during 17:14 each half. Great argument on pro-independence!
Eliminar-Colin
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ResponderEliminarOver the years, as the movement for Catalan independence has gained momentum, FC Barcelona has truly become "més que un club". FCB one of the most prominent sources of pride for Catalonians. Supporters of Catalan independence, including players and affiliates of the club, are not concerned with the potential repercussions for the club. As one of the richest and most powerful clubs in the world, La Liga would face extremely strong resistance from fans across the world if they attempted to remove FCB from the league.
ResponderEliminar-Ryan Ladell
If you were a player or executive of the club, would you not be worried about the financial repercussions of your club potentially losing millions in revenues from not broadcasting matches? This is definitely a tough decision between independence and money.
Eliminar-Colin
I agree with a lot of the comments above, independence is a deeply rooted issue that goes far beyond just the FC Barca Club, I also feel like the team has such a strong presence intentionally that they won't have an issue going back into La Liga eventually and it's doubtful that they will lose out on much else because they're such a strong club and have an avid fan base. - Daniel Dzhurayev
ResponderEliminarThis fight for independence is something FC Barca have stood firmly behind for years. Do you think Barca's fans, specifically those outside of Catalonia, are aware of the Catalan push for independence and know of these potential consequences of it?
Eliminar-Colin
These Catalan supporters such as Pep should be allowed to express themselves freely. If they support the independence of Barcelona they should show it. It develops the character of the athlete to the public and gets supporters.They show their authenticity more if they go against the grain in some sense and support independence. Also, FCB will not be kicked out of La Liga. The club is a global icon. La Liga needs FCB to survive.
ResponderEliminarIf you see our other blog post regarding the negative financial effects of independence, you will see that the President of La Liga stated that if independence were to happen, FC Barcelona would be kicked out of the league. See http://catalanindependencefcbarcelona.blogspot.com.es/2016/02/the-negative-financial-effects-of.html for more info.
EliminarEste comentario ha sido eliminado por un administrador del blog.
ResponderEliminarYou brought up a really interesting point that I never considered before. It is interesting to see if what they publicly state can go further to harm their organization. If it does harm their organization then why should they want to do it? I wonder if there are other benefits or payouts these people receive when speaking up what they believe in that outweigh the possible negative outcomes that could come to organization like FC barca. Comment by Ali Cohen
ResponderEliminarPossible payouts by government officials is something that we have considered as well; however, there clearly is not a lot of available evidence that points to this as most of these deals would have happened under the table. Hopefully this is not the case, though!
Eliminar-Colin
The pride of the Catalan people is rooted in deep history far longer than the history of FC Barcelona. As important as FC Barcelona is to the people and the players you can't compare a sports team with a thousand years of history and culture. This is why I think the football players are pushing for Catalan independence because it is larger than football. Pep supporting this cause only strengthens the efforts for independence as Catalans view Pep with much respect and love.
ResponderEliminarIt could be argued that FC Barcelona is an attachment to Catalan culture. FC Barca have represented this culture through its support of independence and even their yellow and red striped jerseys (symbolizing that Catalan flag). Do you think Pep could have any other motives for this support?
Eliminar-Colin
Yes FC Barcelona is a modern day attachment to Catalan culture but the history of independence stems before the creation of Spain as a country. With this knowledge FC Barcelona represents only a minuscule part of the overall culture. I do agree though that in modern day culture it does play an important role in Catalan life.
ResponderEliminarSolid point here, Daniel. Do you think that people would respond differently to the idea of independence if they knew their beloved FC Barca would be removed from La Liga?
Eliminar-Colin
When popular sports figures endorse political action as impactful as a a situation like this, the influence that they provide is real. I would argue that a significant proportion of the Catalan population care more about, and are more involved, in FC Barca than day to day political activity. Therefore when someone as beloved as Guardiola takes such a strong position on the matter, people will follow, often without even understanding the real reprecussions. I hate to bring him into this, but this is relatively similar to the success that Donald Trump is having in his 2016 presidential campaign. Because of the success associated with him and his name, people around the United States are following him and therefore legitimizing his candidacy. It is crazy to think how much influence prominent pop-culture icons like Guardiola and Trump can have on a sometimes uninformed population.
ResponderEliminarExcellent comparison of Pep and Donald, I agree whole heartedly with this comment. Big names bring in brig crowds. But what would happen if the Argentine super tar, Lionel Messi, came out and preached against independence to the people of Catalonia?
Eliminar-Colin
After living in Barcelona for the past two months, I feel like I have a solid understanding of how much the people want their Catalan independence. I also feel like I have a solid understanding of how much they love their futbol – which is a lot. However, Catalan independence is bigger than a sport and is what the people want. Although there would be issues with the soccer team, it is too big of an entity to collapse financially or structurally. Give the people what they want! Give them their independence!
ResponderEliminarViva la independencia! I would disagree here. Having also lived here for the past 2-3 months, I have seen more apparel and merchandising of FC Barca than I have of Catalan flag, shirts, etc. On a global scale, surely FC Barca has many more supporters than the independence campaign.
Eliminar-Colin
I think this blog post goes deeper than sports. Witnessing various parades on weekends and seeing the way people of Barcelona interact with one another, it is clear that they take pride in their origin and the city they live in. From this, it is clear that the people of Catalan should have their independence and be able to express themselves accordingly. I think the way to achieve such independence is gain support from celebrities and allow them to lead the movement, which is evidently a part of the plan. People are more inclined to listen to celebrities than the common citizen.
ResponderEliminarInteresting point here, Harry. Can you talk a little more in depth about how you have seen the people of Barcelona interact with one another that has made it seem that they want independence?
Eliminar-Colin