Supporters of FC Barcelona
Encyclopedia
FC Barcelona
is a Spanish
club based in Barcelona
, formed in 1899 by a group of Swiss
, English
and Spanish players led by Joan Gamper
. It has been part of the Spanish top-flight, La Liga
, since the league's inception in 1928 and has won La Liga 21 times, along with 25 Copa del Rey
s and 4 UEFA Champions League
victories. The supporters of Barcelona have played an important part in the formation of the club's Catalan
identity during the club's 111-year existence. From the authoritarian rule of Spain under Miguel Primo de Rivera
in 1923, which later ended with the fascist rule of Franco
, various forms of cultural oppression was enacted against Catalonia
and FC Barcelona in particular, causing the club to become a symbol of rebellion
. After Spain's transition to democracy in 1978, several support groups of FC Barcelona evolved, most notably the Boixos Nois
, who later mixed their support of the club with a demand of secession
from Spain.
The arrival of Ronaldinho
in 2003, and Barcelona's subsequent success in La Liga and Champions League, has been seen as crucial to an increase in the national, and worldwide, fan-base of the club. This development of a larger national fan-base has created friction between the those supporters who wish to secede from Spain and it's non-Catalan Spanish supporters.
There exist three different types of supporters of Barcelona, one is the soci or club-member, who is eligible to vote in the presidential election of the club and other matters. The penyes, who are closely affiliated with the socios are fan-clubs, which in the past have been responsible for large donations to the club. Lastly there are the ordinary fans of the club, the cules, who do not possess any formal membership.
which had a capacity of 6,000, it was the first ground owned by the club. Barcelona moved to Les Corts
in 1922, which had an initial capacity of 20,000, which was later expanded to 60,000. The top-row of Les Corts was the origin of the nickname culé, derived from the Catalan cul (English: arse), as the spectators at the first stadium, Camp de la Indústria, sat with their culs over the stand. The English author, Phil Ball, notes that "all you could see was row upon row of bums".
In the mid 1940s, the club invented the notion of penyes, a mix between a fan club and a financial support club, during a time when the club was in need of financial and public support in face of the hostility of Francisco Franco
's dictatorship. The first Penya Solera, was formed in 1944 by a group of supporters and former players. The penyes would later exhibit their financial in 1953, when they proposed the building of the Camp Nou
. Inspiration was drawn from the financial plan Athletic Bilbao
used to build San Mamés, were an association of penyes pledged to finance the construction. As a result, the subsequent construction of the stadium put the club into its supporters' hands, giving the penyes political influence over the club, which still lasts today.
During the same period, Franco's oppression of Catalonia caused the relationship between the club and its supporters to change. For the supporters, FC Barcelona became synonymous with Catalonia, a feeling incorporated in the club's Més que un club motto (English: More than a club). The socio-political impulse Visca el Barça (Long live Barça), gradually evolved into Visca el Barça i visca Catalunya (Long live Barça and Catalonia) and was the same as a protest-song against the central government in Madrid.
In 1975, the death of Franco marked the beginning of Spain's transition into a democracy and four years later, Josep Lluís Núñez
became the first elected president of FC Barcelona. Since then, the members of Barcelona, called socios, have elected the club president.
In the early 1980s, one of the most notorious penyes, the Boixos Nois
(English: 'Boxwood boys') was founded. The peña who identified with left-wing separatism, repeatedly demanded the resignation of president Núñez, openly defying his presidency through chants and banners at matches. At the same time, the city of Barcelona experienced a rise in the number of skinhead
s, who identified with right-wing separatism. The skinheads slowly moved the Boixos Nois' political ideology from liberalism to fascism, which caused fractions within the group. Inspired by British hooligans
, the remaining Boixos Nois became violent, which often lead to mass-scale arrests.
According to the protest organisation L'Elephant Blau, formed in part by later-president Joan Laporta
in 1998, the former president Núñez promoted the emergence of skinheads among the Boixos and gave them permission to roam freely around the stadium, using them for his own political gain. When Núñez resigned in 2000, his vice-president Joan Gaspart
took over as president. Gaspart publicly expressed his sympathies for Boixos Nois, claiming that he would join the group as soon as he resigned as chairman. The comment caused the Boixos Nois members to occasionally be referred to as 'the chairman's boys'.
The same year saw the controversial transfer of the Barcelona vice-captain Luís Figo
to arch-rivals Real Madrid
. When Figo returned to the Camp Nou in November 2002, the Boixos responded to Figo's perceived treachery by whistling and jeering whenever he went near the ball. The abuse peaked when the Boixos threw a cut-off pig's head next to Figo, while he was taking a corner. The match has since been known in Spain as the "Partido de la Vergüenza" (English: "the Game of Shame"). The match was suspended for 13 minutes by the referee, who took the players off the pitch because of fears for their safety. It ended in a 0–0 draw.
During the first decade of the new millennium, president Joan Laporta
, a supporter of Catalonian nationalism, repeatedly expressed his support of Catalonia's secession from Spain and characterised the club as the symbol for Catalonian separatism. The politicalisation of the club drew criticism from several club members who accused Laporta of alienating Barcelona fans, both within and outside of Catalunya. By 2003 Barcelona had 1,200 penyes around the world, causing other Spanish clubs to copy the concept. With each individual peña having different names and rules, it has become a custom in Spain to name a new peña after their favourite player or match, and in turn the player usually attends to the inaugural supper.
In the presidential election of 2010, the rise in club-members during the last seven years caused the campaign to focus on whether to allow votes from non-Catalan members, through internet or post. The balloting committee decided to only allow votes from members who registered at the home stadium on the day of the election.
As of November 2010, membership of the club is no longer open to the public. Only close relatives to current and former FC Barcelona members can join the club as well as previous members with at least a two-year history of membership. This ruling however will not apply to children under the age of 15.
, who are supported by 32 percent of the population. Throughout Europe many fans regard Barcelona as their second club. Since the 2003–04 season, the club's membership figures have risen from 100,000 to 170,000 socis in September 2009, a 70 percent increase. The sharp rise was attributed to the influence of Ronaldinho
and then-president Joan Laporta
's media-strategy, which focused on online media in Spanish and English. As of June 2010 there are 1,335 officially registered penyes around the world, representing an 11 percent increase since 2003. Many prominent people are recognised as Barcelona supporters, including the previous Pope John Paul II
, who was an honorary member, and former prime minister of Spain, José Zapatero
.
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
is a Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
club based in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, formed in 1899 by a group of Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Spanish players led by Joan Gamper
Joan Gamper
Joan Gamper previously known as Hans Kamper was a Swiss football pioneer, player and club president. He founded football clubs in Switzerland and Catalonia , most notably FC Basel, FC Zurich and FC Barcelona....
. It has been part of the Spanish top-flight, La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
, since the league's inception in 1928 and has won La Liga 21 times, along with 25 Copa del Rey
Copa del Rey
The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
s and 4 UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
victories. The supporters of Barcelona have played an important part in the formation of the club's Catalan
Catalan people
The Catalans or Catalonians are the people from, or with origins in, Catalonia that form a historical nationality in Spain. The inhabitants of the adjacent portion of southern France are sometimes included in this definition...
identity during the club's 111-year existence. From the authoritarian rule of Spain under Miguel Primo de Rivera
Miguel Primo de Rivera
Miguel Primo de Rivera y Orbaneja, 2nd Marquis of Estella, 22nd Count of Sobremonte, Knight of Calatrava was a Spanish dictator, aristocrat, and a military official who was appointed Prime Minister by the King and who for seven years was a dictator, ending the turno system of alternating...
in 1923, which later ended with the fascist rule of Franco
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
, various forms of cultural oppression was enacted against Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
and FC Barcelona in particular, causing the club to become a symbol of rebellion
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...
. After Spain's transition to democracy in 1978, several support groups of FC Barcelona evolved, most notably the Boixos Nois
Boixos Nois
The Boixos Nois is a supporter group organised around the football club FC Barcelona, based in the Spanish autonomous community Catalonia. Founded in 1982 it was composed of left-leaning Catalan nationalists, until a surge of skinheads joining in the mid 1980s saw the political orientation turn...
, who later mixed their support of the club with a demand of secession
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
from Spain.
The arrival of Ronaldinho
Ronaldinho
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira , commonly known as Ronaldinho or Ronaldinho Gaúcho, is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Flamengo and the Brazilian national team as an attacking midfielder or forward. He is a two-time winner of the FIFA World Player of the Year, awarded to the best player over the year...
in 2003, and Barcelona's subsequent success in La Liga and Champions League, has been seen as crucial to an increase in the national, and worldwide, fan-base of the club. This development of a larger national fan-base has created friction between the those supporters who wish to secede from Spain and it's non-Catalan Spanish supporters.
There exist three different types of supporters of Barcelona, one is the soci or club-member, who is eligible to vote in the presidential election of the club and other matters. The penyes, who are closely affiliated with the socios are fan-clubs, which in the past have been responsible for large donations to the club. Lastly there are the ordinary fans of the club, the cules, who do not possess any formal membership.
History
Before 1909, Barcelona played in various stadia, none of which were owned by the club. On 14 March 1909, the club moved to the Camp de la IndústriaCamp de la Indústria
Camp de la Indústria was a multi-use stadium in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was initially used as the stadium of FC Barcelona. It was replaced by Camp de Les Corts in 1922. The capacity of the stadium was 6,000 spectators.-External links:* *...
which had a capacity of 6,000, it was the first ground owned by the club. Barcelona moved to Les Corts
Camp de Les Corts
Camp de Les Corts , commonly referred to as Les Corts, was a sports stadium in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was the home ground for FC Barcelona until the club moved to the Camp Nou in 1957....
in 1922, which had an initial capacity of 20,000, which was later expanded to 60,000. The top-row of Les Corts was the origin of the nickname culé, derived from the Catalan cul (English: arse), as the spectators at the first stadium, Camp de la Indústria, sat with their culs over the stand. The English author, Phil Ball, notes that "all you could see was row upon row of bums".
In the mid 1940s, the club invented the notion of penyes, a mix between a fan club and a financial support club, during a time when the club was in need of financial and public support in face of the hostility of Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
's dictatorship. The first Penya Solera, was formed in 1944 by a group of supporters and former players. The penyes would later exhibit their financial in 1953, when they proposed the building of the Camp Nou
Camp Nou
Camp Nou , sometimes called "the Nou Camp" in English, is a football stadium in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The stadium, located in the west of the city, has been the home of FC Barcelona since its construction in 1957....
. Inspiration was drawn from the financial plan Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club, also known as Athletic Bilbao, is an association football club from Bilbao in Biscay, Spain. The club has played in the Primera División of La Liga since its start in 1928. They have won La Liga on eight occasions...
used to build San Mamés, were an association of penyes pledged to finance the construction. As a result, the subsequent construction of the stadium put the club into its supporters' hands, giving the penyes political influence over the club, which still lasts today.
During the same period, Franco's oppression of Catalonia caused the relationship between the club and its supporters to change. For the supporters, FC Barcelona became synonymous with Catalonia, a feeling incorporated in the club's Més que un club motto (English: More than a club). The socio-political impulse Visca el Barça (Long live Barça), gradually evolved into Visca el Barça i visca Catalunya (Long live Barça and Catalonia) and was the same as a protest-song against the central government in Madrid.
In 1975, the death of Franco marked the beginning of Spain's transition into a democracy and four years later, Josep Lluís Núñez
Josep Lluís Nuñez
Josep Lluís Núñez i Clemente was president of FC Barcelona between 1978 and 2000. Núñez also owns the Núñez i Navarro construction company and Núñez i Navarro Hotels chain. He was elected club president on 1 July 1978 despite having no previous connection with the club...
became the first elected president of FC Barcelona. Since then, the members of Barcelona, called socios, have elected the club president.
In the early 1980s, one of the most notorious penyes, the Boixos Nois
Boixos Nois
The Boixos Nois is a supporter group organised around the football club FC Barcelona, based in the Spanish autonomous community Catalonia. Founded in 1982 it was composed of left-leaning Catalan nationalists, until a surge of skinheads joining in the mid 1980s saw the political orientation turn...
(English: 'Boxwood boys') was founded. The peña who identified with left-wing separatism, repeatedly demanded the resignation of president Núñez, openly defying his presidency through chants and banners at matches. At the same time, the city of Barcelona experienced a rise in the number of skinhead
Skinhead
A skinhead is a member of a subculture that originated among working class youths in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and then spread to other parts of the world. Named for their close-cropped or shaven heads, the first skinheads were greatly influenced by West Indian rude boys and British mods,...
s, who identified with right-wing separatism. The skinheads slowly moved the Boixos Nois' political ideology from liberalism to fascism, which caused fractions within the group. Inspired by British hooligans
Football hooliganism
Football hooliganism, sometimes referred to by the British media as the English Disease, is unruly and destructive behaviour—such as brawls, vandalism and intimidation—by association football club fans...
, the remaining Boixos Nois became violent, which often lead to mass-scale arrests.
According to the protest organisation L'Elephant Blau, formed in part by later-president Joan Laporta
Joan Laporta
Joan Laporta i Estruch is a Spanish politician and former president of Futbol Club Barcelona between 2003 and 2010.Laporta is a lawyer with his own firm, Laporta & Arbós, which has important firms as clients. Laporta was married to Constanza Echevarría and has three sons, Pol, Guillem and Jan...
in 1998, the former president Núñez promoted the emergence of skinheads among the Boixos and gave them permission to roam freely around the stadium, using them for his own political gain. When Núñez resigned in 2000, his vice-president Joan Gaspart
Joan Gaspart
Joan Gaspart i Solves is a Spanish businessman and a former FC Barcelona president between July 2000 and February 2003. He was born in Barcelona. He is known as one of the best vice presidents of the club but one of the worst presidents...
took over as president. Gaspart publicly expressed his sympathies for Boixos Nois, claiming that he would join the group as soon as he resigned as chairman. The comment caused the Boixos Nois members to occasionally be referred to as 'the chairman's boys'.
The same year saw the controversial transfer of the Barcelona vice-captain Luís Figo
Luís Figo
Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo, OIH, is a Portuguese former international footballer. He played as a midfielder for Sporting CP, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Internazionale, during a career which spanned over a period of 20 years. He retired from football on 31 May 2009...
to arch-rivals Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
. When Figo returned to the Camp Nou in November 2002, the Boixos responded to Figo's perceived treachery by whistling and jeering whenever he went near the ball. The abuse peaked when the Boixos threw a cut-off pig's head next to Figo, while he was taking a corner. The match has since been known in Spain as the "Partido de la Vergüenza" (English: "the Game of Shame"). The match was suspended for 13 minutes by the referee, who took the players off the pitch because of fears for their safety. It ended in a 0–0 draw.
During the first decade of the new millennium, president Joan Laporta
Joan Laporta
Joan Laporta i Estruch is a Spanish politician and former president of Futbol Club Barcelona between 2003 and 2010.Laporta is a lawyer with his own firm, Laporta & Arbós, which has important firms as clients. Laporta was married to Constanza Echevarría and has three sons, Pol, Guillem and Jan...
, a supporter of Catalonian nationalism, repeatedly expressed his support of Catalonia's secession from Spain and characterised the club as the symbol for Catalonian separatism. The politicalisation of the club drew criticism from several club members who accused Laporta of alienating Barcelona fans, both within and outside of Catalunya. By 2003 Barcelona had 1,200 penyes around the world, causing other Spanish clubs to copy the concept. With each individual peña having different names and rules, it has become a custom in Spain to name a new peña after their favourite player or match, and in turn the player usually attends to the inaugural supper.
In the presidential election of 2010, the rise in club-members during the last seven years caused the campaign to focus on whether to allow votes from non-Catalan members, through internet or post. The balloting committee decided to only allow votes from members who registered at the home stadium on the day of the election.
As of November 2010, membership of the club is no longer open to the public. Only close relatives to current and former FC Barcelona members can join the club as well as previous members with at least a two-year history of membership. This ruling however will not apply to children under the age of 15.
Fan-base
In Spain, approximately 25 percent of the population are Barcelona supporters, this is the second highest percentage behind Real MadridReal Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
, who are supported by 32 percent of the population. Throughout Europe many fans regard Barcelona as their second club. Since the 2003–04 season, the club's membership figures have risen from 100,000 to 170,000 socis in September 2009, a 70 percent increase. The sharp rise was attributed to the influence of Ronaldinho
Ronaldinho
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira , commonly known as Ronaldinho or Ronaldinho Gaúcho, is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Flamengo and the Brazilian national team as an attacking midfielder or forward. He is a two-time winner of the FIFA World Player of the Year, awarded to the best player over the year...
and then-president Joan Laporta
Joan Laporta
Joan Laporta i Estruch is a Spanish politician and former president of Futbol Club Barcelona between 2003 and 2010.Laporta is a lawyer with his own firm, Laporta & Arbós, which has important firms as clients. Laporta was married to Constanza Echevarría and has three sons, Pol, Guillem and Jan...
's media-strategy, which focused on online media in Spanish and English. As of June 2010 there are 1,335 officially registered penyes around the world, representing an 11 percent increase since 2003. Many prominent people are recognised as Barcelona supporters, including the previous Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
, who was an honorary member, and former prime minister of Spain, José Zapatero
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is a member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party . He was elected for two terms as Prime Minister of Spain, in the 2004 and 2008 general elections. On 2 April 2011 he announced he will not stand for re-election in 2012...
.