Pepe and his yellow ribbon…

[Chucky McChuckface]

So interesting opinions pieces in a couple of the Daily Rags today, commenting on Pepe’s insistence on wearing his Catalonia Ribbon, while also on the Qatari World Cup Ambassador Payroll… and I for one have to admit this is somewhat hypocritical of Pepe. A bit of “having your cake and eating it” to me…

Although I should add, I’m quite happy for politics (regardless) to stay as far away from footy as possible.

What do the rest of us think? Football and politics should be chalk and cheese or…..

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[nine nine nine]

Catalonia is Pep’s home it’s understandable he has strong feelings for it and the key politicians trying to bring about a vote for Independence.

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[Hightown hope]

While I understand Pep’s strong feelings about this issue, for once I have a certain amount of sympathy for the FA. They shouldn’t allow political statements of any kind otherwise at some point they will set themselves up as moral arbiters. If a manager wanted to sport a Britain First badge, would that be acceptable? I would hope not, but the FA are sEttington themselves for trouble in the future if they allow Pep to carry wearing his badge.

I remember back in the 90”s Robbie Fowler wearing a tshirt supporting the Liverpool dockers which he revealed after scoring in front of the Kop one night. He got fined, but he’d made his point with that one gesture that night.

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[Chucky McChuckface]

I get that part, but can he really do that while taking the Qatari Royal on the side, one of the most oppressive regimes on Earth, who undoubtedly lock him up if the same scenario was Qatari based…. and secondly, should it really be a part of football altogether?

I like to think football should be about bringing people together, not dare I say causing divisions with political statements. I really don’t think he should be bringing it onto a football field.

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[nine nine nine]

Is Pep still an Ambassador for the Qatar World Cup I’m not sure he is, he backed the bid way back when he was at Barca when Qatar were Barca’s sponsors but I’m not sure he is involved now.

But If it was wrong then does it mean Pep shouldn’t show his support for an Independent Catalonia because of it. It was where he grew up where his family come from and where he will no doubt one day return to live.

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[Nike19]

Unless it’s something like Unicef or the old ‘LIVE AID’. I can understand an institution like the FA putting the brakes on. If Pep had a subtle kind of a tattoo on his belief, I guess maybe it wouldn’t kick up such a big fuss.

Remember that CK T’shirt Hightown – think it featured in either a Match or a Shoot weekly Magazine.

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[Chucky McChuckface]

The Red-Tops are saying he still is (who really knows?).

And I’m not really saying he can’t show he’s support, just saying should he be showing it in a footballing arena, while also (possibly) taking cash from people who most certainly wouldn’t allow him to show support for an “organization” who are being somewhat rebellious in nature.

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[nine nine nine]

To understand how Catalan people see themselves as distinct, a word from their language is instructive: seny.

It is an adjective used to convey a supposedly unique Catalan sensibility: pragmatic, level-headed, and dignified. Seny is just about the last word the Spanish government and the European Union would use for the Catalans, who instigated a lurching attempt to declare independence from Spain with a highly controversial referendum this month.

Spain’s Senate is expected to approve a federal takeover of Catalonia’s regional government on Friday. Leading political proponents of the secessionist movement have been arrested.

Whatever the government in Madrid does, the sense of separateness that many Catalans feel from the Spaniards with whom they share a nation-state will not be extinguished. That is partly because it is a very old and seasoned sense, and one that has survived through long spells of Spanish suppression. But if many Catalans feel not only linguistically but culturally and politically distinct from Spain, how and why did Catalonia become part of Spain the first place?

“To understand, you have to go back to the Middle Ages, in part because that’s where Catalan people also go back to when conceiving of their history,” said Paul Freedman, a professor of Catalan history (among other things) at Yale. Catalans “see themselves as always having been more entrepreneurial and modern than Castilians, who they see as more concerned with power and religion and honor and purity of blood,” said Freedman.

In the 12th century, a largely independent Catalonia was subsumed into the Kingdom of Aragon, through a dynastic union (when royals arrange a marriage as a way of merging territory, or forming an alliance). Catalan interests dominated that union, and trade in the Western Mediterranean was largely their domain. A few hundred years later, another dynastic union merged Aragon with Castile. After a series of minor conquests, the Spanish state roughly assumed its modern borders.

Since then, Catalonia has been a linguistic minority in a country mostly populated and ruled by Spanish-speakers. Modern Spain has many other such minorities, including Galicians, Basques and Canarians. To differing degrees, they have each experienced suppression of their language and culture. Separatist movements have been born and quashed for centuries.

For many in Spain, including the Catalans, the worst repression came during the years of military dictator Francisco Franco, who came to power in 1939 and ruled until his death in 1975. Franco is widely held responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people who opposed his totalitarianism. Many ended up in concentration camps or were summarily executed.

“Franco began the systematic destruction of Catalan political parties, prohibited the use of their language, destroyed countless cultural institutions, and drove much of Catalan society underground,” said Andrew Dowling, who teaches contemporary Catalan politics at the University of Cardiff. “To this day, Spain has never formally apologized for doing that.”

During those years, the Catalan language disappeared from schools and other public spaces, but, as in bouts of cultural suppression centuries earlier, its use among common people never waned. Nowadays, Catalan is not only Catalonia’s official language (along with Spanish), but public schools teach migrants from the rest of Spain and the world how to speak it.

“It’s a testament to strength of national sentiment that they’ve kept their language alive, instead of having to raise it from the dead like in Ireland or even Israel for that matter,” said Freedman. “These days, Catalan literature and magazines and culture in general are thriving despite the predominance of Spanish.”

Catalan human towers, which in Catalan are called a “castell,” or castle, are in an intrinsic part of Catalan national tradition, and performances now occur nearly weekly across Catalonia. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
While retaining its cultural distinctions, Catalonia has also become more cosmopolitan, however. Its industry and vibrancy have been a major draw for people from other parts of Spain, Europe and elsewhere. From the late 19th century until about 20 years ago, Catalonia had by far the most advanced economy in Spain. In post-Franco Spain, Catalonia regained much of its lost autonomy, including its own parliament and police force.

As the independence voted showed, Catalonia is now split into groups that hold drastically different views on the region’s innate separateness from Spain. Inland and rural areas, populated mostly by Catalan-speaking people, are fervent supporters of independence. The working class suburbs of Barcelona, Catalonia’s biggest city, are divided mostly by where their residents originated. And in the coastal metropolis itself, most did not feel strongly enough to vote.

Meanwhile, Madrid has overtaken Barcelona as Spain’s cultural and economic capital, in addition to being twice as populous. A sense that Catalonia pays more in taxes to Madrid than it gets in return was a central argument of the independence campaign.

“Catalan people’s sense of difference may be reinvigorated by these changes,” said Freedman. “Catalans have always seen themselves as smarter and richer. Breaking with Spain could be a way of preserving that.”

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[Anonymous]

I don’t agree that they should be allowed to tell him to not wear an incredibly low-profile pin. He hasn’t voiced an opinion or pushed anything in our faces. Honestly, If I were Pep, I’d tell them to go fuck themselves and if asked about it on camera, I’d use that language too. Fascists.

I’ve seen countless people wearing poppy pins on TV, before/after matches, on panels etc.

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[Chucky McChuckface]

Goldie… don’t get me wrong, I’m quite up to speed with the “situation” regarding Catalonia, you seem to be missing my points.
A) Should it or should it not be on a football field? (Banjo says NO!)
B) Should somebody be promoting “freedom” for one group of people while being (allegedly) on the payroll of those who oppress freedom in another part of the world? (Banjo says double standards!)

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[Chucky McChuckface]

Mak… interesting you mentioned poppies, that analogy was also in the Red-tops, with them (and I agree!) pointing out the poppies aren’t really political as such, and only used as a mark of remembrance (although one article continued with notion perhaps ALL remembrance days should be considered).

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[Nike19]

You’re teaching little Banjo bad habits already – I’m keeping an eye on you! 😛

Mav?!

Poppys should be allowed!

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[nine nine nine]

Chucky, I wasn’t suggesting you weren’t up to speed with the situation in Catalonia but I’m not sure everyone is.

I’ll nail my colours to the mast I have owned property and lived in Catalonia and still regularly go back I have many Catalonian friends one was even arrested for sedition in Barcelona at a protest with all the negative possibilities that entails just for wearing a Catalanoia football shirt and holding up a sign with Liberty on it.

Personally I think there’s room for both sides to come together but not while Madrid retain the stance they do.

As I said is Pep still employed by Qatar I’m not sure he is and even if he was it’s slightly muddying the water as to why he is wearing a yellow ribbon.

But that’s just my view mate and politics is a very dangerous area for us all to venture into and I’ve probably said far too much already. Cheers 999

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[paul powers tash]

The fact that he’s been wearing it for the last 3 or 4 months and nobody has batted
an eyelid.Except Chucky’s pal Maureen back in december.

As for the FA charging him the day before a cup final.Smells a bit off to me.Not
Adlab’s pal influencing the FA dinosaurs again? I hope not 🙂

Maybe he should wear it under his coat.As it’ll turn into a media scrum
in the coming weeks?

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[Pagan]

Let’s face it, political statements should not be allowed, would we allow managers to wear symbols that support the IRA? Probably not, but it’s not a million miles away from what’s gone on in Spain….Pagan

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[Big Jim]

Hightown has expressed my sentiments exactly on this. Sport and politics should be kept apart. Poppies are non political imo. Regardless of my sentiments towards Catalonia and Catalan political prisoners held in Spain which I have massive sympathies for. I feel Pep has made his point and raised their profile simply by being charged by the FA. Clearly he can wear the ribbon outside of his job But I think he should now cease wearing it before he gets in more trouble and incurs a touchline ban which will help no one.

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[Anonymous]

“Let’s face it, political statements should not be allowed, would we allow managers to wear symbols that support the IRA? Probably not, but it’s not a million miles away from what’s gone on in Spain….Pagan”

I disagree and say that it is a million miles away. By your logic, any fellow Irishmen who longs for a united Ireland is an IRA sympathizer. Why is there an implied connection between ones political/national leanings and that of violence? There is no implicit connection at all.

I can imagine that you lads would want the poppy to be allowed and it is. Yes, they are a symbol of remembrance for lives lost but they aren’t totally void of political/national elements, whether originally intended or not.

It’s my own opinion that if you are to ban Pepe from wearing a yellow pin then you must also ban the display of poppies. I would allow them both because I don’t think we should force people to sanitize themselves when appearing on TV. Certainly not to that extent anyway.

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[nine nine nine]

Pagan, you can’t compare Independence for Catalonia which is purely political and peaceful from the Catalonian leaders and their supporters to the IRA who used bullets and bombs.

“Before a manager, I am a human being,” Guardiola said, comparing the situation in Catalonia to the recent referenda in the UK on leaving the European Union and Scottish independence.

“You did the Brexit, you let people have their opinion. You allowed Scotland to make a referendum about if you want to stay or not. And, after, the people vote.

“That is what they ask [in Catalonia] and they are in jail right now.”

He added: “There are four guys in prison. There are other guys, who are outside from Catalonia. When they come back, they are going to be jailed, imprisoned for rebellion and sedition.

“They don’t have weapons. The weapons that we have is just the vote, the ballot.

“It’s not about politicians, it’s about democracy; it’s about helping the people who didn’t do absolutely anything.”

Guardiola is likely to be fined in the first instance for his defiance, something he said he would “accept”.

Asked whether he would continue to wear the ribbon if the FA threatened to ban him, he replied: “They know that I’ll wear the yellow ribbon always. I can wear it somewhere else, not just on my chest. They know I’ll wear it.”

Alluding to the fact he is allowed to wear the ribbon during Champions League matches, he added: “Uefa has another opinion regarding these issues. They say you can wear always anything as long as you show it with respect. Here, apparently, it’s different.”

Strange that UEFA allow the wearing of the ribbon but the FA don’t and I think Jim makes some good points in his post above and seemingly given what Pep has said here he will continue to wear the ribbon but respect the FA’s position thus not risking a touchline ban that might effect Man City.

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[Pagan]

9, I would suggest that you look up Terra Lliure, before making bold statements, but I suppose one mans terrorist is another’s freedom fighter….Pagan

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[Anonymous]

Pep was asked not to wear the ribbon months ago, when he was first spotted wearing it. He has gone against the request since then, and has forced the FAs hand.

Pep is trying to legitimise his wearing of a political symbol by highlighting that we have had a brexit referendum and the Scots an independence referendum. He is, hopefully deliberately, confusing the right to have a referendum with the right to bring politics into sport. The two are separate.

Banjo asked two simple questions, which have nothing to do with the Catalonian right for independence, but sadly others have to bring that into it.

Of course he should not be allowed to wear political symbols on the sidelines, and of course he is a grade A hypocrite for taking money from the Qataris to be an ambassador for the WC and then claim he is all for peoples rights.

A journalist also pointed out to him the hypocrisy of his stance after the cup final and Pep didn’t seem to interested in human rights when it was pointed out what goes on back in the Man City owners country. I think he said – “they choose to live that way”. But he didn’t seem to grasp that anyone chooses to be oppressed.

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