One Club's Solidarity with Catalonia's Political Prisoners
- Cody
- Mar 25, 2018
- 4 min read
Updated: May 17, 2018
This morning authorities detained the rightful or former (depending on your perspective) Catalan President Carles Puigdemont in Germany. Puigdemont had been residing in Belgium in an attempt to avoid arrest by Spanish authorities on charges of treason and sedition. Last October, Puigdemont authorized a referendum in Catalonia in order for the people to vote and decide if they wished to remain part of Spain. The referendum, deemed illegal by Spain’s constitution, prompted a heavy-handed, violent response from Spain’s Guardia Civil against voters. Catalonia’s independence movement was and remains admirably pacific, and yet Spanish authorities felt the need to use excessive force against the voters, young and old alike.
Following the pro-independence victory in the election, Puigdemont declared the Catalan Republic, which was globally denounced, before fleeing to Belgium to escape imprisonment. Though he found asylum in Belgium, four other politicians were detained and imprisoned for their part in calling the referendum. Spain issued the arrest warrants for up to 25 Catalan politicians in total. After more than 140 days in prison, the four jailed politicians were joined by five others who were arrested on similar charges just two days ago. These nine may soon be reunited with Puigdemont after today’s arrest. They face incarceration of up to 30 years.
The recent arrests have prompted large-scale protests in the streets around Catalonia and Barcelona, with Catalans calling for the release of the political prisoners. On Friday and perhaps as expected, over 20 people were injured as police used batons to quell the protesters. Many Catalan’s have planned for a general strike as another form of protest. Catalans have also taken to wearing a yellow ribbon in support of the political prisoners, a form of protest made popular by Pep Guardiola. Guardiola, a proud Catalan and outspoken proponent of a Catalan referendum, has been fined for wearing the yellow ribbon by the English FA. The FA has deemed the ribbon to be a political symbol, which are prohibited. Often misconstrued as a symbol of pro-independence, the yellow ribbon simply represents a desire for the release of the politicians and is worn by both those in-favor of and those against independence. The yellow ribbon and the color yellow, in general, has therefore become a symbol for Catalonia’s support for their political prisoners.
Upon hearing of the new detentions and with the encouragement of their fans, Club Esportiu Europa decided to wear their yellow away shirt rather than their normal blue and white home strip in their home match against Espanyol B. The fourth-division club represents the neighborhood of Gràcia in Barcelona and has a set of ultras who define themselves as pro-Catalan independence. Ultras aside, the club prides itself in its Catalan identity. The club sponsors a program to promote the use of the Catalan language among trainers, players, and officials, apart from other initiatives. Espanyol, on the other hand, have always represented those who are proud to feel Spanish, as their name would suggest. The club is undeniably Catalan, having made several changes in the last 20 years, such as changing the Spanish spelling of Español to the Catalan Espanyol. However, the fact remains than unlike FC Barcelona and some of the smaller clubs in Barcelona, like Europa, Espanyol has a large contingent of pro-Spain supporters.
On the sporting side, Espanyol B came into the match having dominated the Catalan Tercera Division unlike any other side in history. Having not lost a match all season, the pericos had the opportunity to become the first undefeated team in the division’s history. What’s more, Espanyol would be crowned champions with a win. As if the incentive of a local derby wasn’t enough, Europa were therefore looking to be the first team to beat Espanyol B and avoid watching their rivals celebrate the league title on their field.
And so, the escapulats of CE Europa, sporting their yellow visiting strip at home for the first time in recent memory, came into the derby with everything to play for. Excitement reverberated throughout the ground, no doubt influenced by the political backdrop of such an important league match. Naturally, Espanyol began the match on the front foot, controlling the ball and the match with a mix of patient build-up play and quick attacking moves in the final third. Espanyol’s combination passing impressed, but Europa stayed compact and closed down Espanyol’s attacks. Though Espanyol bossed the first half, it was Europa who created the more dangerous chances through David Jiménez and Raillo, the best of which came in the 40’ when Raillo had his low shot saved by Espanyol keeper Edu.
Both sides created chances in the second half, while Europa saw more of the possession. The breakthrough came in the 80th minute, with Jiménez catching Espanyol captain in possession right in front of the Espanyol goal. After stealing the ball and with only the keeper to beat, Jiménez picked his place in the bottom corner and sent the escapulat supporters into delirium. To their credit, the graciencs pushed on and had several more chances to kill off the match with a second goal in the final minutes. However, the last chance fell to Espanyol, when Max had his 93’ shot saved by Europa keeper Arnau, who was outstanding throughout the match.
At the referee’s whistle, the stands and the Europa players erupted in celebration, almost as if they had won the league themselves. Espanyol, with a 21 point gap between themselves and second-placed L’Hospitalet, are well-aware that their league title is all but assured but with the bitterness of knowing that they were unable to make history. Europa, meanwhile, gained an all-important three points in the quest to reach the promotion play-offs. They now sit four points behind fourth-placed Terrassa. Several fans remarked after the match on how well the team played wearing the yellow shirts. What started as a form of political protest may now have become a good-luck symbol. In a day of distress and sadness for many Catalans, Europeistes found a reason to celebrate, even if just for the moment.
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