 |
FC Barcelona - more than just a football club
A visit to the FC Barcelona stadium
FC Barcelona (Fútbol Club Barcelona) or "Barça" for short, is,
with Real Madrid, the most famous Spanish football team. FC Barcelona is based in the Catalan city of Barcelona and plays its home games
at the "Camp Nou" stadium. Today Ronaldinho, the best player in the world, plays
for the club . In addition to Ronaldinho, there are other world class players such as Deco, Messi, Xavi, Pujol, among others in the team, and many feel that Barça plays the
world's best football.
"Camp Nou" with 98,600 seats is the largest stadium in Europe and one of the largest in the world. FC Barcelona has 133,000 members and therefore beats even FC Bayern Munich as the sports association with the most members. There are also 1,600 fan clubs or "peñas". Fan club banners from the world over decorate the "Camp Nou".
Other sports teams (such as handball and basketball) also belong to FC Barcelona,
. The basketball team is also very successful, winning the European Cup for the first time in 2003. The handball team, with 6 European Cups, is the most successful team in the world. Fútbol Club Barcelona won the Champions' League in 1992.
But FC Barcelona is more than just a football club. Games between the two arch rivals, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, also
symbolise the fight between the central government in Madrid and Catalonia and Barcelona. During Franco's dictatorship, and even afterwards, for a lot of people supporting Barça was one of the few ways they could express their feelings against the central power and political despotism.
The Rivals
The two arch rivals of FC Barcelona are much more than just football opponents. The local rivals, Espanyol Barcelona, stood for "Spanish Catalonia", while the hated Real Madrid became seen as a symbol for centralist Spain. Thanks to the democratisation of the political system over the last few decades, which went hand in hand with the growth of Catalonia's autonomous status, the explosiveness of the derbies has decreased, although it has not disappeared entirely.
The identification and association of the people from Madrid with Franco's dictatorship was so strong, so that the climate between the two big Spanish teams is anything but relaxed. Gamper was removed as head of the club in 1925 by the military regime. Five years later he committed suicide. One of his successors, the MP Josep Sunyol, was shot under martial law in the Civil War in 1936 by the troops of the soon to be dictator, Francisco Franco. The team went into exile in Mexico. At the beginning of Franco's regime the number of members sank to 2,500 and the club was facing extinction.
The chicanery of the regime led to the Catalans hating the "Royalists"
(supporters of Real Madrid) even more. Today, many Barça fans still equate their arch rivals with Franco's regime and with Madrid centralism.
FC Barcelona has a museum at its "Camp Nou" stadium
and it is one of the most frequently visited in the city. So, if you visit Barcelona and are a keen football fan,
don't miss the impressive "Camp Nou" stadium and museum.
Centro Humboldt's culture and leisure programme in Barcelona brings you closer to the city.
To complement your Spanish course, we offer you city tours and international get-togethers.
|
