08/27/26 03:21:00
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08/27 15:13 CDT Barcelona scraps tribute to Spain World Cup winners. Act
supporting Catalan symbol held instead
Barcelona scraps tribute to Spain World Cup winners. Act supporting Catalan
symbol held instead
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) --- Barcelona's World Cup winners with Spain have not
been honored by the club at its first home game of the season on Thursday
because of an incident involving the "estelada" flag, Catalonia's
pro-independence symbol.
Instead, an act supporting the estelada organized by a local group took place
at Camp Nou stadium, which was laden with some 10,000 small flags that were
handed to fans before the match. There were also some large flags and a few
banners being displayed in the stands.
Fans raised the flags during Barcelona's anthem. Before the match, a few
thousand fans marched with the pro-independence symbols near the Camp Nou,
according to local media.
Barcelona has eight World Cup champions in its squad, the most of any club, and
it planned a tribute to them before its Spanish league home opener against
Athletic Bilbao.
Other Spanish clubs, in partnership with the Spanish soccer federation, had
honored their own World Cup champions in tributes that included the displaying
of the World Cup trophy and the presence of Spain coach Luis de la Fuente.
Barcelona said it didn't intend to go ahead with the tribute after one of its
fans had an estelada flag taken away from him by police before the team's game
at Elche last weekend. The young fan confronted the officers, who hit him with
batons before detaining him.
The Catalan club said it regretted the confiscation of the flags from its fans,
saying the estelada "is a legally endorsed symbol and its display constitutes a
legitimate exercise of freedom of expression." It said "it cannot in itself be
considered an incitement to hatred or violence."
Barcelona said it considered the "procedure used to detain one of our fans was
disproportionate and that the use of force lacked the necessary justification
and appropriateness."
The incident quickly escalated to the political sphere, with local politicians
expressing their opinions.
A Catalan organization handed out 10,000 estelada flags outside the Camp Nou
before Thursday's game. Barcelona club president Joan Laporta highlighted the
peaceful "act of exaltation of the estelada," which he said represented the
Catalans' right to freedom of expression. Barcelona was not directly organizing
the event.
Laporta said it was not "the most appropriate moment" to offer the tribute to
the Spain players, adding that "soccer must unite, not generate confrontations."
Laporta said the Spanish soccer federation understood the club's position.
The eight Barcelona players who helped Spain win its second World Cup trophy
last month are Joan Garca, Eric Garca, Pedri, Pau Cubars, Gavi, Rodri, Dani
Olmo and Lamine Yamal.
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