Copa del Rey Posted on January 18th, 2012 by

Today is the first game of the King’s Cup (La Copa del Rey) and it is between rivals FC Barcelona (Barça) and Real Madrid.

This match-up is really interesting for me, because it represents the struggle of the Catalonians (Barcelona is in Catalonia, one of the autonomous regions in Spain) against the Spanish (or Castilians, from who’s language we get modern Spanish). There are other groups in Spain, like the Basques, who also struggle against the Castilians/Spanish. However, the difference between the Basques and the Catalonians is that the Basques tend to be more violent. Instead of rallying behind a football team, they have resorted to organizations like ETA (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna – Basque Homeland and Freedom), which is a terrorist organization that has caused much violence in Spain. Now, I’m not saying all Basques are violent. As with most things like this, it is the small minority that gets all the media attention and that’s all we hear about. Regardless, it is still interesting to note the differences between the Basques and the Catalonians.

For me, I hope Barça wins. And that the government in Madrid and the Basques can find a way to peacefully negotiate. In the mean time, perhaps ETA should put down their weapons and start kicking a soccer ball around…

 


One Comment

  1. Elle says:

    I am so jealous!!! Visca el Barça!