Today is a mourning day in Catalonia. Another one. Catalonia is not the only nation in Europe with a democratic President hanged by the army but also the one with a President of a Football Club also killed by military. Barcelona is a club intrinsically linked with the history and politics of Catalunya. The club’s rise during the early 20
th
century marked a time fraught with conflict, as the city was repeatedly
torn apart by political infighting, the Primo de Rivera dictatorship,
and finally, civil war.
While fans and officials of the club were often at the forefront of
these social and political upheavals, few experienced them with the
intimacy of Josep Sunyol. President of both the Catalan Football
Federation and FC Barcelona itself, Sunyol’s murder at the hands of
Francoist troops in the hills surrounding Madrid remains one of the
darkest days in the club’s history. On the 82
th anniversary of his martyrdom for the cause of Catalan independence (August 6
th), we pause to remember the man who gave his life for his club, and the people it stood for, the Catalans.
Born in 1898 to a wealthy Barcelona
family, Josep Sunyol i Garriga came of age during a renaissance of
Catalan nationalism, a movement that would influence him deeply. A
lawyer and journalist, Sunyol was also heavily active in politics,
joining the left-leaning
Acció Catalana and eventually winning election to represent the
Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya in
the Spanish parliament. In an effort to avoid a drawn out discussion
about the complexities of Catalan politics during this era, we will
focus on his time with the club. Those interested should refer to
Barça: A People’s Passion, which offers an excellent in-depth analysis of the political role of the club and its members during this time.
Sunyol became a member of FC Barcelona in 1925 at a time when the
club was beginning to experience the repression that came to
characterize its treatment by the central authorities during the Franco
years. The team’s fans had jeered the Spanish national anthem during a
match in June of that year, and the Primo de Rivera dictatorship swiftly
responded by closing down the team’s Les Corts stadium for six months
and outlawing public displays of nationalist sentiment. It comes as
little surprise that the left-leaning Sunyol had gravitated towards the
club during this period: already a growing focal point of Catalan
nationalism, the galvanization of the club’s fans by the Primo de Rivera
dictatorship no-doubt appealed to the politically-minded young Catalan.
Sunyol
join the club’s board of directors in 1928 during the presidency of the
staunchly monarchist Arcadi Balaguer (this bit of political irony
perfectly illustrates the tumultuous state of Catalan politics at the
time). During his tenure on the board of FC Barcelona, Sunyol also
served as the president of the Catalan Football Federation (1929-30), as
well as publishing a weekly sporting magazine,
La Rambla. He was elected to the Spanish parliament as a representative of the Republican Left of Catalunya (
Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, or
ERC) in 1931, a post he would hold until his murder.
Sunyol’s efforts for the ERC did not get in the way of his duties for the club, and on July 27
th,
1935 he was elected president of FC Barcelona. The following season
proved an exciting one for the club, winning the Catalan Championship
and narrowly losing a thrilling Cup final to a Real Madrid side led by
Ricardo Zamora (for whom the Zamora goalkeeping trophy is now named).
The outbreak of the Spanish Civil War on July 17
th, 1936,
effectively halted the normal rhythm of domestic football, and would
ultimately seal the fate of the Catalan club’s president.
In his role as a representative of the ERC and the Republican cause
that now found itself at war with Franco’s Fascism, Sunyol left
Barcelona in early August for Valencia, and after a brief stopover,
continued on to Madrid. This proved an unwise decision: as the nation’s
capitol, Madrid would prove to be a hotly contested battleground for
the warring sides, and already the two belligerents had begun
hostilities in the area. Sunyol’s official car had left Valencia flying
both the Republican and Catalan flags, and it is only reasonable to
assume that they remained so as his car navigated the road that wound
through the Sierra Guardarama overlooking Madrid. The fighting in the
hills had left pockets of Republican and Fascist troops scattered
haphazardly, and Sunyol had the great misfortune of being stopped by the
Fascists, who no doubt recognized the flags on his car. There are few
concrete details as to where or when his car was stopped, but Josep
Sunyol did not arrive in Madrid that day, nor ever.
News of the club’s president did not reach Barcelona until a week
later, where conflicting reports of his death or capture caused
widespread outrage. A posthumous tribute to the fallen president was not
made until November of 1939, after the Fascist victory and the end of
hostilities. The Franco regime’s distaste for Catalunya and all who were
tied to it led to an official campaign to tarnish Sunyol’s reputation,
labeling him “anti-Spanish”, and effectively ignored his contributions
to the club.
Josep Sunyol was only one of the victims of the Spanish Civil War,
but his murder represented the birth of FC Barcelona as a vehicle for
dissent against the new regime. Already a source of displeasure with the
Primo de Rivera regime, the club would spend the next several decades
firmly under the thumb of Francisco Franco, who despised everything that
it had come to represent.
We could forgive, we cannot forget. Spanish Violence is always the only way to treat Catalonia. Is it forever or let's change the history ?
