FC BARCA CALLS FOR DIALOGUE, RESPECT, AND SPORT
Politics and sport are often combined outside of America. Here is a great example of the power of sport used wisely to call for dialogue during a time of political crisis.
For decades, Catalonia, a region of Spain with unique self-governing provisions has sought full independence from the Kingdom of Spain. Catalonia is the home of FC Barcelona.
The core issue: This search and resulting political debate have heated up recently as Catalan secessionists want a unilateral declaration of independence from Spain. Catalonia is one of the wealthiest areas of Spain and accounts for a fifth of the national economy.
In response, Spain’s police cracked down on Catalonia’s independence referendum and the constitutional court moved to block the Catalan government from issuing a declaration of independence. In the search for greater autonomy, and as the risk of “civil war” becomes a faint possibility, community leaders have spoken out.
Josep Maria Bartomeu, FC Barcelona Chairman released a video this week on the challenges on Catalonia seeking independence — Here are his words….
These last few days, Catalonia has been going through one of the most transcendental periods in its recent history.
FC Barcelona, as one of the leading institutions in the country, demands a process of dialogue and negotiations to find political solutions to the situation happening in Catalonia, and for this to be done with the utmost respect for the wish of the majority of Catalan people to decide on their future.
We are More than a Club.
And it is precisely because of that that we feel that it is our duty to stand by our people, under such difficult circumstances as those that are being experienced right now.
We are therefore officially supporting the Comissió Independent per a la Mediació, el Diàleg i la Conciliació (Independent Commission for Mediation, Dialogue, and Conciliation) promoted by the Il·lustre Col·legi d’Advocats de Barcelona (Barcelona Bar Association).
Together with other bodies from civil society, we want to build bridges with dialogue that contribute to resolving the conflict in a peaceful and consensual fashion.
People understand each other through dialogue.
FC Barcelona demands respect. As an institution that is so committed to the values of dialogue and peaceful coexistence, the Club feels that all public manifestations need to contribute to building the bridges for dialogue that are necessary in this context while respecting the freedom of expression of the Catalan people.
In order to overcome this crisis, it is indispensable for all of us to come together and to use our social functions to act responsibly. In our case, we shall defend the demand for such institutional dialogue wherever it might be needed, while in a sporting sense, we shall continue to compete in our different disciplines.
We will aspire, as ever, to win every title.
This shall be our way of showing the world the reality of what is happening in Catalonia and reasserting our commitment to our society and to freedom, the same commitment to which Barça has always been loyal throughout its 118 years of history.
Visca el Barça i Visca Catalunya
