Barca 'more than a club' with or without Beckham
Barcelona's long history and rivalry with Real Madrid will continue to symbolise Catalan pride -- embodied in its motto 'More than a club' -- whether or not England captain David Beckham signs up.
Barcelona's long history and rivalry with Real Madrid will continue to symbolise Catalan pride -- embodied in its motto 'More than a club' -- whether or not England captain David Beckham signs up.
After a poor campaign in which Barca have missed out on a place in the Champions League next season, talk of signing the world's most glamorous player has lifted spirits at the Nou Camp and sparked hopes of building a squad to rival the stylish 'Dream Team' assembled by Dutchman Johan Cruyff in the 1990s.
Beckham has become the key issue in Sunday's presidential election at the club after candidate Joan Laporta agreed terms with Manchester United to sign the photogenic player.
But the 28-year-old, whose brand has been estimated to be worth 200 million pounds ($333.2 million) by the Observer newspaper, has appeared to rule out the move.
"Beckham is charismatic and could bring revenues, but whether it's Beckham or someone else, we have to look for better times," said Josep Guzman, head of Barca's fan clubs in the city.
"This has been a year to forget and people are angry, but that anger must pass. The members, the president, the players will all come and go, but the club will remain," he added.
The days in which Barcelona was a symbol of Catalan resistance to General Francisco Franco's dictatorship are long gone but not forgotten.
Under Franco's 1939-1975 regime Catalan language and culture were ruthlessly suppressed and scores of local politicians were executed or jailed.
"Even though those times have been overcome, we are still 'more than a club'," Guzman said. "For Catalonia, Barcelona is a symbol of its identity, like the mountain of Monserrat."
An important part of that identity is its sophisticated style, both on and off the pitch. Those who have prospered at the club, such as Cruyff and dashing former England striker Gary Lineker, have wooed the demanding Catalan public.
Cosmopolitan, like the Mediterranean port itself, Barcelona has relied on international talent for its success. By contrast, the footballing flagship of the industrialised northern Basque region, Athletic Bilbao, uses only players of local origin.
"We want pretty football. Our stadium is known as the Lyceum. We prefer to win a game 7-6 than 1-0," Guzman said.
Barca is more than a football club. It groups 11 different sports and claims to be the biggest sporting association in the world. It has more than 1,500 supporters clubs internationally and can boast Pope John Paul amongst some 108,000 members.
More than other Spanish sides, Barcelona can claim to belong to its members. The Nou Camp was paid for by popular donations and the players still do not wear advertising on their shirts.
The biannual 'derby' match -- as the Spanish press calls it -- against Real Madrid still excites strong passions in both cities, recalling for some Barca fans the 'black legend' of Franco's passionate support for Madrid.
"To play against Real Madrid is not just to play against another club, we are playing against the memory of Franco's fascism," said Francisco, a taxi driver in Barcelona.
Not all Catalans would agree.
With football now big business and Real Madrid assembling a star-studded team that has won three European Cups since 1998, they have become the second most popular side in Catalonia.
The team from the capital are especially popular among immigrants from other parts of Spain who do not feel Catalan, according to Jose Luis Vicente, the head of Real Madrid fan clubs in Catalonia.
"Barcelona are a nationalist team," he said. "The Madrid fan clubs were started during the times of immigration, in the 1950s and 60s, by people from Andalusia who founded fan clubs in the suburbs of the big cities, in the industrial belt."
But Guzman insists the days of Barcelona as a flagship of Catalan nationalism are long gone. These days, he said, football is a force for integration, not separation.
"Barcelona fan clubs are like the embassies of Catalan society," he said. "To be a Catalan all you have to do is want to be one, and Barcelona can be one means of doing that."
"In my fan club I have about a dozen nationalities -- Colombians, Moroccans, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Ecuadoreans," said Guzman. "There may be many colours but we are all burgundy and blue".