The name of a football club “Espanyol” This does not mean that one must support one political ideology or another, as the environmental nationalism that permeates Catalonia when something sounds “Hispanic” or “Iberian”. But we hope at least that the concept of “Spain” will not cause allergies. Above all because it is the country where he was born and where he is based, it is in his league that he plays his matches and because he has won the “Spanish Championship” four times, which is the name given to the current team. . King’s Cup. But given certain attitudes of the current board of directors, dominated by a company with Chinese capitalit is not clear that “Espanyol” likes Spain.
Since the time when he was president of Daniel Sánchez Llibre’s club – in fact, he is the brother of the president of Development and former CiU deputy, the nationalist Josep Sánchez Llibre – and until today the club follows the maxim of not confronting each other. too much with the current context of what nationalism means by “Catalan society”. Of course, without reaching the level of complicity of Barça, which is an authentic state structure of the Catalan independence movement, as a propaganda tool at the international level.
This desire not to confront one another too much has led several presidents of the Spanish explicitly supported the official status of Catalan sports teams. Or that the club’s board of directors repeatedly violated the tacit consensus that existed among supporters of the “only blue and white flag.” This motto tried to avoid a war in the stands between the Catalan, red, estelada and other symbols, but the board put an end to it by placing only the senyera on the back of the team’s jersey during the 2012-2013 season.
Then came everything else: today, in the sports city of Espanyol, the flag of Espanyol and Catalonia flies on its masts, but not that of Spain. The same thing happens in several important rooms of the RCDE stadium, such as in the presidential anteroom or at the entrance to the offices. And the climax of the nonsense comes with the festival national of Catalonia, September 11. For the Diada A large representation of Espanyol brings a wreath of flowers to the monument to Rafael Casanova and the club congratulates all Catalans on this day of celebration. But then comes the October 12the national holiday of Spain, and at Espanyol all is silence. Not a statement, not a message on social networks. Like it’s just another day at work.
Faced with this scandalous double standard, it seems that this year the club considered congratulating on October 12 and even prepared the material. but in the end the parakeet leaders did not dare. The usual complexes, the desire not to bother the nationalist power too much. This happens every day in Catalonia, where many, to avoid getting into trouble, accept communion with the millstones. This behavior is a shame in the club which admirably welcomed the Spanish football team after its involuntary exile from Catalonia. for eighteen years. March 26, 2022 at RCDE Stadium played Spain-Albania (2-1)and the ground was filled, in a civic and exemplary manner, for approximately 37,000 Catalans to support the national team. These are paradoxes that we live in a Catalonia dominated by nationalism, since Espanyol was able to avoid the political pressures that it suffered during the process from the independence movement, but is then incapable of doing anything as natural as congratulating October 12. We should also congratulate September 11 – Day of the Catalan Autonomous Community – as a national holiday of Spain.
