This article is part of the Tintalibre magazine in March. Readers who want to subscribe to El País with Talibre can do this Through this link. The subscribers must consult the offer in SUSCRIPCiones@elpais.es O 914 400 135.
Sports world, and In particular, football historically was a fertile ground for political intervention. This phenomenon occurred in different stages of history, whether during dictatorships or democratic periods, despite different methods and ends. A clear example of the relationship between politics and sport in modern history of Spain can be seen, as the borders between sport and politics often crossed negative consequences for the independence of sports institutions.
One of the unfortunate examples of this intervention occurred during the Primo de Rivera dictatorship, when the governor Milan made from Bush the decision to close the Lei Court, football headquarters in Barcelona, for a period of six months. This closure took place as a result of a whistle made by Barcelona fans to the Spanish national anthem, in a protest against the regime. Despite government revenge, the club members did not abandon their support for Burja and continued to push their fertilizers, indicating the resistance of part of the Catalan society against political repression.
During the Spanish Civil War, the relationship between politics and sports intensified more. A tragic case symbolized this call in 1936, Matthew Josep Suñol I GarrigaBarcelona club president at the time, was killed by the Franco army. Swinol was arrested while traveling to Madrid, then he was executed in Sierra de Gaadararama. The other tragic issue, according to the investigation of Sàpiens, was the case that occurred in 1939, when the Real Madrid president was executed at the time, Antonio Ortega Guterres, to implement Garrote Vil after submitting him to a very brief trial. These facts reflect the persecution of many sports leaders who opposed the regime, as well as the use of French from sports to unite their strength.
On another occasion, during the early years of the Franco regime, the Barakha Board of Directors, HeadedI decided to give the club’s gold medal to Barcelona President Benia de Manurisa. However, the civil ruler intervened at the time and Montalle warned that Spain, under Franco’s dictatorship, had to be awarded the first gold medal to Caudillo himself. Looking at this pressure, the board of directors was forced to cancel its decision and travel to Madrid to present the first gold medal in the club’s history to Franco, a measure that shows the provision of sport to the will of the regime.
Indeed in the democratic transition, and after the death of Franco and with the arrival of the government headed by Adolfo Suarez, the relationship between political power and the sporting world continued in tense and problems. An episode revealed when, under the chairmanship of Agustí Montal, the names of the members of the new council for the FC Barcelona managers with the SUárez government. This agreement emphasizes how politics continues to infiltrate the club’s internal decisions, even in the democratic era. While this agreement did not have the dimensions of revenge that lived during the dictatorship, it showed the independence of some sports institutions against political interests.
Politics and football in the twenty -first century
The last moments in the history of Barcelona were also distinguished by political intervention. In the democracy of the twenty -first century, the relationship between politics and football, especially in Catalonia, reached new levels of conflict. During my state as president of FC Barcelona, I suffered from the brutality not only that policy affects, but also explodes in sport with cruelty and cruelty. During my state, a group of politicians within the Spanish government, Specifically, Alicia Sanchez Kamacho, head of the Popular Party (PP) in CataloniaRemote me in the “Catalan Independence Possibilities” list to get rid of it. This list was part of a strategy that sought to destabilize the numbers that represent political resistance, in this case, those who believe they supported the cause of Catalan independence, whether it is true or not.
My position as President of Barcha, at that time, has become one of the most powerful clubs in the world, whether in the countryside or outside, is an ideal goal for political interests. In those years, FC Barcelona enjoyed one of the most successful periods in its history. The first team, led by Lionel Messi, swept both national and international competitionsWhile the club’s economic situation was the most solid in its history. However, this was exactly in the moments of success when attempts to control Barsha intensified from political circles.
Our board of directors’ decision to include the four bars of the Catalan flag in the second team of the team, we faced serious problems. Some political sectors interpreted it as a rebellion towards the state. These types of decisions, which for many are symbolic, for others are unacceptable and put their control over the large national symbols at risk. From that moment on, the media and political campaign has been launched that has sought to “cancel” those who defended the club’s independence and their right to express themselves freely.
In this context, the state mechanisms began to work against the club and everything that they represented. Using judicial means, false cases were manufacturedWithout evidence or legal basis, to try to destabilize the club and harm good sport, and the economic and social process that made internal and external enemies very tense. The accusations lacked every meaning, but that did not prevent the unfair preventive detention from doing it, which was extended for about two years, with the only goal of pressuring those who oppose their interests. This situation was the cooperation of Judge Carmen Lamila, who was clearly partially, very strange and perhaps corrupt, extreme, trying to appear with unstable evidence and facts. It was strengthened by the National Court to the Supreme Court against the usual practices; This explains to what extent suffers from the defect of the Spanish judicial system in disposing of collusion with political interests.
The most anxious of this type of intervention is that although the corruption guide and the abuse of power is clear, a few of their actions have been punished. The lack of a result of these corrupt actors shows that despite living in a society determined by democracy, power control mechanisms are still very similar to dictatorship mechanisms, where those who are not subject to the will of the regime are punished without consideration.
Politics and sports have been linked for several centuries, but its relationship varied depending on the historical and political context for each moment. During dictatorships, such as Prim De Rivera or Franco, political intervention in sport was aimed at maintaining control of society, and directing people’s energies towards activities that distract them from their daily problems, and above all, prevented them from questioning the legitimacy of the system. At that time, the policy not only used sports as a tool for advertising, but also applied repressive measures to eliminate any type of opposition.
In democracies, political intervention still exists, but it adopts more accurate ways. Politicians seek to use the emotion that sports generate among people to manipulate the vote and increase their support base. In the case of Catalonia, for example, football was used by independents as a way to fill their followers and celebrate the collective identity. In this context, sport stops being just a competition to become a space for political confrontation.
This phenomenon has severe consequences for the independence of sports institutions, which are forced to make decisions under the pressure of political actors. In addition, the lack of a real separation between political and sporting power generates an environment of lack of confidence and manipulation, which ends the harm of all concerned.
The truth is that the interference of politics in sport is a structural problem that will not be solved as long as there is no serious commitment to politicians to eliminate corruption and ensure that sports institutions can work independently and independently. At the same time, clubs and athletes will remain, in many cases, victims of political pressure, and sport will continue to use it as a tool for purposes outside their real nature.
In conclusion, The relationship between politics and sports is complex Often problems. Although in theory, democracies must guarantee the independence of sports institutions, the reality shows that policy still affects the world of sports. Only through the real commitment to independence and transparency can be achieved that sport regains its original function: be a space for enjoyment and competition, free of political pressures and manipulation. Meanwhile, we will continue to see how the authority continues to use sport as a tool to unify its dominance over society.
(Sandro Rosell is a former FC Barcelona (2010-2014) and the temporary crossing between 2017-2019)
