Mixing politics with sport - the side effects

One of the stories of the weekend in Europe has been that of the elections in the region of Catalonia in Spain.

There has been some talk of an upcoming referendum upon independence from Spain - Catalonia is apparently one of the wealthier regions of the country, and given the financial desperation that the banking collapse has brought to Spain as a whole many Catalans see independence as a way out.

Nothing is ever easy of course.

Firstly there is no way, apparently, that such a referendum would be constitutional - there does not seem to be a quick and easy way of simply becoming a separate country if the region so desires - and in Madrid the impact of a referendum in Catalonia would also impact the volatile neighbouring Basque region, where calls for independence (and often violent methods of pursuing it) have been an issue for a generation.

And then with Catalonia there is not even an agreement who should take them down that road. The top two parties in the elections this weekend were both strongly for the referendum and the independence that would follow, the first a strictly Conservative party, the second a traditional Social Democrat party. Agree upon wanting independence? They do. Agree upon anything else?  Mmmmmm.

If Catalonia did become an independent state, of course they would have everything Catalan (the way Slovakia has everything Slovak since it broke away, peacefully, from the former Czechoslovakia). Including its own sports leagues.

The pride of sporting Catalonia is FC Barcelona, probably the strongest football (North American = soccer) team in Europe over the past five years. Their major rivals in Spain forever and a day have been Real Madrid - still, for many, the biggest club name in European football.

Every year the teams meet twice in the Spanish championship, and very often in various cup competitions. The matches, known under the label "El  Clásico", are as important in just about every respect (including revenue) as any games played anywhere any time.

Given an independent Catalonia, FC Barcelona would be playing in the Catalan League, Real in the remaining Spanish Championship, and but for possible encounters in the various European competitions, never the twain will meet! Exit "El Clásico"! And do not for a minute expect UEFA to agree to a "national" competition crossing borders.

So there is summat for the voters of Catalonia to consider if they ever get a referendum on independence! Will the significance of a very major sporting event play a role in deciding the region's future? We will see!