The Catalonia region of Spain is in the midst of potential political upheaval with citizens voting in a referendum to determine whether the region should split from Spain and gain independence. Violent clashes have forced Barcelona to close the doors of Camp Nou and play its game against Las Palmas with no crowd.
Barcelona game played in empty stadium following conflicts in Catalonia
La Liga wouldn’t let Barca postpone the match, so it had to be played behind closed doors.
Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
What is happening in Spain?
Catalonia has a long history of attempted secession and unification since the 1600s, but has been operating with its own government since 1914, when the four Catalan provinces united as a Commonwealth, but remained a part of Spain following the Spanish civil war. In recent decades the growth of the region economically has increased its power, leading for renewed calls for Catalonia to secede from Spain and become its own country.
In 2015 the Catalan government announced a plan to break from Spain and become an independent state by the end of 2017. The Spanish constitutional court suspended the claim and attempted to suppress the attempt. This move returned in June when the government announced it would hold an independence referendum on Oct. 1, which once again was blocked by Spanish courts and declared illegal.
Despite attempts by Spain, the Catalan referendum was set to continue on Sunday — but state prosecutors and police were on scene to seize voting paraphernalia, shut down ballots, and enforce the laws handed down by the courts, leading to violent clashes between voters and police.
Where does soccer fit in?
FC Barcelona and Las Palmas were set to play their La Liga game on Sunday afternoon, with Barcelona being the center of the Catalan region. It was reported that Las Palmas had planned to wear the Spanish flag on their uniforms, as well as the date of the Catalan referendum. It was a call for “a united Spain,” which flew in the face of separatist voters in the region seeking independence.
That move — coupled with the violence by national police at voting centers — became a flash point, with Catalan FC Barcelona supporters promising to storm the pitch in protest if the game took place.
“Message from the Grada d’Animació of the FCB.
Given the outrageous repression suffered by the Catalan people, we ask FC Barcelona to suspend the game. In case you do not do it, we will do it. Today do not play. That is why we call on Barcelona fans to go to the Camp Nou and jump to the stadium pitch at minute 1 and take a peaceful sit-in protest of the violence that we are suffering. The world needs to see it. And then we will continue to defend voting centers and democracy.”
Threats to the security of the game were too vast for it to be controlled in light of the violence in the region, causing FC Barcelona to issue the following statement:
Had Barcelona refused to play the game altogether, it would have been deducted six points by La Liga.
What’s next?
World leaders are condemning the response by the Spanish government to voters in Catalonia as more videos emerge from the region. FC Barcelona’s game is continuing without fans, and it’s unclear what will happen politically in the region.
Many FC Barcelona players voted in the referendum before their game on Sunday, with Gerard Piqué, who has been a vocal supporter of the referendum, posting a photo:
It reads: “Together we are unstoppable defending democracy.”
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