Barcelona Could Be Forced To Leave The La Liga Soon

Barcelona would not be allowed to play in La Liga if Catalonia broke away from Spain, the president of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional, Javier Tebas, said as tensions mounted in the region over the possibility of an independence referendum next month.

theguardian.com

Politics have been interwoven with the soccer club almost since it was formed and is summed up by the team's motto: 'more than a club'. Barca's role in pushing the Catalan nationalist cause varies depending on the board in power, but it always plays a central role in cultural life.

smh.com.au

Barcelona and Espanyol will be ineligible to play in La Liga if Catalonia becomes an independent country, Spanish FA president Javier Tebas claimed. A referendum will be held on November 9, with potentially destructive results for the 22-time Spanish champions Barca and neighbours Espanyol.

goal.com

Catalan independence would clearly impact on the future of Barca, who, along with Real Madrid, are the major powerhouses of the Spanish game with support throughout the country. In the event that Barca did leave La Liga then it would severely weaken the image of the competition at home and abroad.

smh.com.au

“If Catalonia became independent, taking into consideration the Sports Law that would be enforced by the rest of Spain, Barcelona wouldn’t be allowed to play,” Tebas told a sports conference in Barcelona.

theguardian.com

"For such a modification to be given the go-ahead, we'd have to wait and see if the affected sector would agree to such a change," he said, in reference to how Spain could react if Catalonia succeeded in seceding. He then said the development would be "a disaster to the development of the football industry."

deadspin.com

"I can’t imagine the LFP without Barça. In the same way as I can’t imagine Catalonia without Spain, I can’t see La Liga without Barça. Also if it did happen what would you call the league: the Spanish League or the Iberian League?”

theguardian.com

"Clearly if it happened then it would be detrimental for Spanish football to lose Barca who are an historic club.

smh.com.au

Javier Tebas said the country's sports law entitles only one non-Spanish territory - Andorra - to legally participate in the league or other official competitions.

Whatever the outcome, the fact that Andorra - a tiny state straddling the Pyrenees Mountains that separate Spain from France - is allowed to play in the league creates a precedent that could permit the Catalan clubs' eventual inclusion. Tebas said that for clubs from an independent Catalonia to be included in La Liga would require "a modification of the law" that would have to be approved by parliament.

Tebas conceded if Catalonia did become independent, changes to the law secluding Barcelona and Espanyol from the league could be put on the agenda. "For that to take place there would need to be a change in parliament and we'd need to see if the affected industry would agree or not," Tebas said.

goal.com

Sure, that's true, whatever. It would suck for La Liga to lose one of the two best teams and the greatest player the league has ever seen in one fell swoop. La Liga would be a laughingstock, and suck besides. Millions upon millions of people would stop watching altogether. Which is why if—if—Catalonia found a way to secede, the rules would change.

deadspin.com

Every Welsh club in the English league (Swansea, Cardiff, Wrexham, Newport, Merthyr, Bae Colwyn) was formed at a time when there wasn't a Welsh league. The League of Wales was only formed in 1992, a long time after these clubs were formed. So these clubs have always been in the English league. It was their choice whether or not they wanted to join the League of Wales. They decided to stay in the English league because they thought they could do better in the English league (the League of Wales is mostly amateur and Cardiff and Swansea have a proud history of winning FA Cups and playing in the top division).

Catalonia, with some 7.5 million inhabitants, is Spain's wealthiest region. Barcelona vies with Real Madrid for supremacy on the football field - domestically and internationally - with both clubs being listed among the world's richest.

The region of Catalonia has fought for autonomy from Spain for hundreds of years, and more recently, the world has seen the political struggle play out on the pitch whenever Catalan side Barcelona faced Real Madrid in the greatest rivalry in sports. Catalonia, with a bustling economy, is the country's wealthiest region, and its current government wants independence now.

deadspin.com

Separatist sentiment has surged in Catalonia in recent years following Spain's refusal to give the region more autonomy and fiscal powers.