Football and Politics: Catalans' goal divides Spain
The problem
was not the boast, which stands a good chance of being proved correct
when Barcelona take on Arsenal in the Paris final, but where he chose to
say it. Zapatero was talking to several thousand Socialists in the
Madrid suburb of Carabanchel. Those booing him were mostly supporters of
Real Madrid - bitter rivals of the prime minister's beloved Barcelona.
The jeers were not just about football, though. They were also a
reminder that the political relationship between Madrid and Barcelona -
or the region it sits in, Catalonia - has become Zapatero's biggest
headache.
FC
Barcelona, led by Brazilian star Ronaldinho, likes to claim it is 'more
than just a club': to some of its fans, it is a symbol of Catalonia.
'Barcelona is much more than a football club, and being a Barça
supporter means not just supporting the club,' the defender Oleguer
Presas explained recently. 'To defend Barça is to defend Catalonia.'
The right
back is a hero to fans, precisely because, in a team full of players
from Brazil, Holland and Cameroon, he is one of just a handful of
Catalan players. Oleguer is also part of a growing number of Catalans
who would like to see Catalonia recognised as a country in its own
right.
And it is
Catalonia that has been Zapatero's biggest problem in his two years of
government. A new autonomy charter, designed to dampen nationalist
ardour by transferring new powers to Barcelona, has led to months of
tense wrangling in the Spanish parliament. It finally got parliamentary
approval last month, and is now being reviewed by the Senate. It must be
put to a referendum among Catalan voters in the summer.
Among
other concessions, the charter gives Catalonia a greater share of income
tax and other tax revenue collected in the region and a greater say
over the court system, which is controlled from Madrid. In a roundabout
way, it also refers to Catalonia as 'a nation'. The process of
negotiating that charter saw the conservative opposition People's Party,
and powerful voices from within the ranks of Zapatero's own Socialists,
launch a ferocious campaign against giving away any more powers from
Madrid to Barcelona.
Last week
the People's Party called on Zapatero to allow all Spaniards to vote in
the referendum. The party sent vans carrying 900 boxes with a national
referendum petition signed by four million Spaniards - 10 per cent of
the population - to the parliament.
Zapatero
saw his standing in the polls seriously damaged by the Catalan issue
earlier this year. A ceasefire by the Basque terrorist group Eta has
seen support rise again, but he is now keen to get the charter sorted as
soon as possible. Some saw the shadow of the Catalan deal hanging over a
cabinet reshuffle carried out by Zapatero a few weeks ago. One of his
most popular ministers, Defence Minister José Bono, left the cabinet to
spend more time with his family. Observers pointed out that Bono had
been one of the government's strongest opponents of Catalan autonomy.
His
successor, Antonio Alonso, this week replaced the army chief of staff,
General José Antonio García González, in what was considered a further
knock-on of the Catalan affair. This followed an outburst by Lt Gen José
Mena Aguado, who warned that the army might intervene if Catalonia
gained more power. Mena was placed under house arrest and later
dismissed. García was lukewarm in criticism of his subordinate and
eventually paid for that with his job.
The fury
with which the Catalan autonomy plans have been received in Madrid and
elsewhere contrast with the comparative calm in Barcelona itself.
Catalans, without indulging in the sort of violence that has seen Eta
kill more than 800 people over the past four decades, are past masters
at negotiating autonomy.
Even
separatists like FC Barcelona's Oleguer speak more radically than they
act. The full-back was invited to join the national squad for training
earlier this year, provoking speculation that he would refuse to turn up
on the basis that he was not Spanish. But he did, and may be playing
for Spain in the World Cup.
It was a
sign that football, sometimes, is more important to Catalans than
politics. They will be happy to get a new statute of autonomy, but
they'll be even happier to see Ronaldinho, Eto'o and Oleguer raise the
Champions League trophy in Paris next month. Right now Arsenal, not
Madrid, is the enemy.
Catalonia
in brief
·
Medieval Catalonia united with northern Spain in 1137. With the
declaration of nd republic, it became an autonomous region under
Francesc Macià in 1931 but a revolution for total independence failed
three years later.
·
Catalan is a Romance language derived from the Latin spoken in the
area, which was occupied by the Romans in the 3rd century BC. The first
Catalan texts date to the 12th century AD. Dictator General Franco
banned official use of the language in 1939.
·
After Franco's death in 1975, Catalonia became one of 17 autonomous
communities that constitute Spain; a population of 6.8 million inhabits
the region.
·
Catalans of note include Salvador Dali, Joan Miró and Antoni Gaudi.
·
Catalonia has its own police force - the Mossos d'Esquadra.
·
One third of Spain's wines come from the region. Giles
Tremlett, The Observer, 30.04.06 http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,1764504,00.html
