Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

The political stance of sport: FC Barcelona and the sovereignty process of Catalonia (2012-2017)

2021; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 23; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/14660970.2021.1917396

1743-9590

Carlos Pulleiro Méndez,

Sports and Physical Education Studies

This paper will evaluate the political stance of sport analysing the case of FC Barcelona (Barça) during the sovereignty process of Catalonia. The main objective is to clarify Barça’s commitment with the sporting values between the 2012 Diada and the unilateral declaration of independence of October 2017, and to do that, we perform a critical discourse analysis through the methodological triangulation. We analyse the official statements, public declarations and interviews of the club members to comprehend the involvement of Barça in the political events that occurred in Catalonia. The theoretical framework rejects the use of politicization as a valid concept to understand the political implications of sports institutions, since it is an oversimplification of the complex relationship between sport and politics. The conclusion is that Barça has defended the political values of sport – dialogue, mutual respect and democracy – looking for a peaceful solution to the political conflict in Catalonia.