"I want Spain to lose so that the
government can't politicise their success."
Over 24 hours in July of 2010, the streets of
Barcelona were full of flag-waving angry
protesters, who – following Spain's 1-0 victory
over the Netherlands in the World Cup final –
soon turned into happy fans waving flags. At
the time, the basic idea of an independent
Catalan seemed as much of a pipe dream as
Spain being crowned "FIFA World
Champions". As the recently removed Spanish
prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, likes to say, "I
like Catalans because they like to do things."
Between the 10th and 11th of July, 2010,
Catalans did many things.
Firstly, on the 10th, more than a million
Catalans demonstrated in Barcelona against a
constitutional court's decision to reject a law
that would have given Catalonia more
autonomy – legislation that was supported by
74 percent of voters. Under the motto, "We
are a nation, we should decide," Catalonia
experienced what many now consider to be
its first major independence demonstration in
modern history.
A day later, Spain won its first ever World
Cup. In Soccer City, Johannesburg, the
Barcelona midfielder Andrés Iniesta scored
the winning goal in the 116th minute to beat
the Netherlands. Massive celebrations broke
out across Spain, but also back in Barcelona –
the largest Catalan city – where thousands of
people had gathered to watch the final. Plaza
Espanya square was filled with Spanish flags,
replacing the independence flags from a day
earlier. Car horns blared in celebration for
hours, as people partied in the streets until
the morning.
Eight years later, the Spanish team will try to
repeat their success at Russia 2018. But a lot
has changed since then, especially in
Catalonia, where the push for independence
became violent on the 1st of October, 2017,
when Catalonia's regional government held a
referendum on autonomy – a vote that the
Spanish government and a Spanish court
ruled unconstitutional. To stop the vote,
Spanish riot police closed off polling stations
and used batons and rubber bullets to prevent
voters from casting their ballots. By the end of
the day, 844 people and 33 officers had been
treated for their injuries.
Since then, separatist politicians have been
imprisoned, while Carles Puigdemont – who
was the region's leader at the time of the
referendum – was forced to flee the country.
And now, amid all this distrust and
resentment, another World Cup has kicked
off, where rampant nationalism pretty much
drives the entire tournament. But in Catalonia
at least, many are struggling to forgive and
forget.
I spoke to four Catalans to understand
whether, after the events of the past year,
they can actually bring themselves to support
their own country.
Javi, 30, is a Barcelona fan. Last October, he
witnessed the police's brutality firsthand
when they stormed the school building he
was voting in and tried to take the ballot
boxes.
He has always felt a bit indifferent towards
the Spanish national team, but this time
there's clarity in his emotions: Javi's
supporting Argentina because of Barcelona
star Lionel Messi. "If these were normal times,
I wouldn't really care that much about
whether Spain won or lost," he tells me. "But
this time I want them to lose so that the
government can't politicise their success."
The importance of football to the people of
Catalonia goes beyond sport, Javi adds. This is
epitomised by Barcelona's famous motto: "Més
que un club" (More than a club). "Barça has
always been more than a club, and Catalonia
has always been more than a region," he says.
"We're a country that is not a country."
Unlike Javi, Antonio will celebrate every
single Spanish goal. The 57-year-old is part of
a generation of Spanish fans who remember
when the phrase "We're playing like never
before, we're losing like always," was a
common chant among La Roja fans. But
Spain's luck seemed to change when they
lifted the European Championship in 2008,
and then the World Cup two years later. "I
was so happy in 2010," Antonio says. "But I
can understand why some Catalans were not
so up for celebrating."
Antonio did not vote in the independence
referendum, but he thinks the Spanish and
Catalan government are equally to blame for
everything that has followed. "Both sides have
made mistakes," he tells me. "And now all
that's left is anger."
Carlota, 28, is happy to watch the World Cup
as a neutral, only stretching to support the
occasional underdog. She didn't really care
much either way for Spain's big win in 2010,
but was surprised by the number of people
who celebrated it wildly in Barcelona. "I
wasn't very comfortable with the amount of
fans who rushed to the streets to wave their
Spanish flags," she says.
Carlota voted in the referendum and admits
that what happened that day has made it
hard for her to actively support Spain. "I feel
torn, because it would be nice if Spain won,
but I don't think I can bring myself to
celebrate it, not after the way the Spanish
government has treated us," she says.
The players can't get away from the politics of
this, either. "I think someone who is pro-
independence could play for the national
team," said Barcelona and Spain's Gerard
Piqué in a press conference shortly after the
referendum. Piqué has long been a vocal
defender of Catalonia's right to decide. The
defender voted in October, and afterwards
was highly critical of the police. For his
trouble, he's now constantly booed by a
section of Spanish fans when he plays for his
country.
Like Piqué, Luis not only voted in the
referendum, but also wants Spain to win the
World Cup. "I was in the Plaza Espanya with
my colleagues when Spain became world
champions," he smiles. "We celebrated by
drinking out of home-made cups shaped like a
trophy and jumping into the city's Montjuic
fountain. It was an amazing night."
According to a 2017 survey by the Centre for
Opinion Studies, Luis is one of the 55 percent
of Catalans who support the Spanish national
team. But from that, 67 percent would switch
to supporting a Catalan team if it existed. "If
one day we become independent, I will
happily continue cheering Spain on, but I'd
also support the Catalan side," Luis adds.
But until that happens, Catalans like Luis,
Carlotta, Antonio, Javi and even Gerard Piqué
will see where their hearts take them, one
tournament at a time. Then again, I guess
nobody can know for sure how they will react
to a World Cup-winning goal scored deep in
injury time.
"During the World Cup, they will put up a
giant screen in Barcelona, and some people
will celebrate Spain and others won't," Luis
tells me. "But the most important thing is that
there's peace."
government can't politicise their success."
Over 24 hours in July of 2010, the streets of
Barcelona were full of flag-waving angry
protesters, who – following Spain's 1-0 victory
over the Netherlands in the World Cup final –
soon turned into happy fans waving flags. At
the time, the basic idea of an independent
Catalan seemed as much of a pipe dream as
Spain being crowned "FIFA World
Champions". As the recently removed Spanish
prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, likes to say, "I
like Catalans because they like to do things."
Between the 10th and 11th of July, 2010,
Catalans did many things.
Firstly, on the 10th, more than a million
Catalans demonstrated in Barcelona against a
constitutional court's decision to reject a law
that would have given Catalonia more
autonomy – legislation that was supported by
74 percent of voters. Under the motto, "We
are a nation, we should decide," Catalonia
experienced what many now consider to be
its first major independence demonstration in
modern history.
A day later, Spain won its first ever World
Cup. In Soccer City, Johannesburg, the
Barcelona midfielder Andrés Iniesta scored
the winning goal in the 116th minute to beat
the Netherlands. Massive celebrations broke
out across Spain, but also back in Barcelona –
the largest Catalan city – where thousands of
people had gathered to watch the final. Plaza
Espanya square was filled with Spanish flags,
replacing the independence flags from a day
earlier. Car horns blared in celebration for
hours, as people partied in the streets until
the morning.
Eight years later, the Spanish team will try to
repeat their success at Russia 2018. But a lot
has changed since then, especially in
Catalonia, where the push for independence
became violent on the 1st of October, 2017,
when Catalonia's regional government held a
referendum on autonomy – a vote that the
Spanish government and a Spanish court
ruled unconstitutional. To stop the vote,
Spanish riot police closed off polling stations
and used batons and rubber bullets to prevent
voters from casting their ballots. By the end of
the day, 844 people and 33 officers had been
treated for their injuries.
Since then, separatist politicians have been
imprisoned, while Carles Puigdemont – who
was the region's leader at the time of the
referendum – was forced to flee the country.
And now, amid all this distrust and
resentment, another World Cup has kicked
off, where rampant nationalism pretty much
drives the entire tournament. But in Catalonia
at least, many are struggling to forgive and
forget.
I spoke to four Catalans to understand
whether, after the events of the past year,
they can actually bring themselves to support
their own country.
Javi, 30, is a Barcelona fan. Last October, he
witnessed the police's brutality firsthand
when they stormed the school building he
was voting in and tried to take the ballot
boxes.
He has always felt a bit indifferent towards
the Spanish national team, but this time
there's clarity in his emotions: Javi's
supporting Argentina because of Barcelona
star Lionel Messi. "If these were normal times,
I wouldn't really care that much about
whether Spain won or lost," he tells me. "But
this time I want them to lose so that the
government can't politicise their success."
The importance of football to the people of
Catalonia goes beyond sport, Javi adds. This is
epitomised by Barcelona's famous motto: "Més
que un club" (More than a club). "Barça has
always been more than a club, and Catalonia
has always been more than a region," he says.
"We're a country that is not a country."
Unlike Javi, Antonio will celebrate every
single Spanish goal. The 57-year-old is part of
a generation of Spanish fans who remember
when the phrase "We're playing like never
before, we're losing like always," was a
common chant among La Roja fans. But
Spain's luck seemed to change when they
lifted the European Championship in 2008,
and then the World Cup two years later. "I
was so happy in 2010," Antonio says. "But I
can understand why some Catalans were not
so up for celebrating."
Antonio did not vote in the independence
referendum, but he thinks the Spanish and
Catalan government are equally to blame for
everything that has followed. "Both sides have
made mistakes," he tells me. "And now all
that's left is anger."
Carlota, 28, is happy to watch the World Cup
as a neutral, only stretching to support the
occasional underdog. She didn't really care
much either way for Spain's big win in 2010,
but was surprised by the number of people
who celebrated it wildly in Barcelona. "I
wasn't very comfortable with the amount of
fans who rushed to the streets to wave their
Spanish flags," she says.
Carlota voted in the referendum and admits
that what happened that day has made it
hard for her to actively support Spain. "I feel
torn, because it would be nice if Spain won,
but I don't think I can bring myself to
celebrate it, not after the way the Spanish
government has treated us," she says.
The players can't get away from the politics of
this, either. "I think someone who is pro-
independence could play for the national
team," said Barcelona and Spain's Gerard
Piqué in a press conference shortly after the
referendum. Piqué has long been a vocal
defender of Catalonia's right to decide. The
defender voted in October, and afterwards
was highly critical of the police. For his
trouble, he's now constantly booed by a
section of Spanish fans when he plays for his
country.
Like Piqué, Luis not only voted in the
referendum, but also wants Spain to win the
World Cup. "I was in the Plaza Espanya with
my colleagues when Spain became world
champions," he smiles. "We celebrated by
drinking out of home-made cups shaped like a
trophy and jumping into the city's Montjuic
fountain. It was an amazing night."
According to a 2017 survey by the Centre for
Opinion Studies, Luis is one of the 55 percent
of Catalans who support the Spanish national
team. But from that, 67 percent would switch
to supporting a Catalan team if it existed. "If
one day we become independent, I will
happily continue cheering Spain on, but I'd
also support the Catalan side," Luis adds.
But until that happens, Catalans like Luis,
Carlotta, Antonio, Javi and even Gerard Piqué
will see where their hearts take them, one
tournament at a time. Then again, I guess
nobody can know for sure how they will react
to a World Cup-winning goal scored deep in
injury time.
"During the World Cup, they will put up a
giant screen in Barcelona, and some people
will celebrate Spain and others won't," Luis
tells me. "But the most important thing is that
there's peace."
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