By Tony Ngare
Most call it El Cl·sico, some El Derbi and a few others El Grande Derbi. Call it by whatever name, but a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, wouldn’t it? Forget Arsenal vs Tottenham, Celtic vs Rangers, Inter Milan vs AC Milan, AS Roma vs Lazio; you can even forget Boca Juniors vs River Plate because Barcelona versus Real Madrid has historical, cultural and political differences dictating the mood of the clash.
Just like previous clashes, last weekend’s tie between the arch nemesis was as sizzling as ever.
With Ruud van Nistelrooy, Mahamadou Diarra, Gabriel Heinze, Ruben De La Red, Pepe and Miguel Torres all out injured Madrid was down to the bare bones. However, that did not stop them from frustrating Barcelona at home. Initially Lady-Luck seemed to smile at Barcelona when they were awarded a penalty with 20 minutes to go, but she swiftly swung her smile to Real when Samuel Eto’o could not hold his nerves to convert the penalty.
However, Eto’o atoned for his sins when he slotted home in the closing stages. Real further collapsed – not only on the pitch but also in the league standings when Lionel Messi made the points safe.
As anyone even remotely connected with Spanish football would know, this fixture has more than three points at stake. It doesn’t follow the rules scripted in the formbook. There are stronger elements such as pride, honour and history shoved into the equation. To properly comprehend the ruthless significance of the fixture you would have to stretch your hand deep into the mist of the Spanish Civil War way back in the mid-1930s when Spanish dictatorial regime led by Hitler-esque General Francisco Franco was crippling the nation.
According to Internet sources the first clash between Barcelona and Real Madrid might have taken place in 1929. It was already observed as the embodiment of the tensions felt between the two most prominent and culturally contrasting regions of Spain. Barcelona was the representative of Catalonia, the free-thinking region in the northeast of Spain striving hard to gain autonomy and the distinction of a country. On the other hand Real was the manifestation of the Spanish State’s sovereign oppressive centralism.
Immediate to the conclusion of the Spanish civil war, the rivalries between the two clubs gathered momentum and intensity. The fixture wasn’t perceived so much as a football match as a demonstration of freedom and control. Barcelona became mÈs que un club ("more than a club", as the Catalan motto suggests), a symbol of democracy, republicanism, federalism, anarchism and communism while Real were observed as the Royal club -– the club that was always preferred by the Spanish political hierarchy.
The tides of time have remained abortive in eradicating this feeling. The Spanish civil war might have long closed its eyes upon the light of this world and General Franco rests in his grave but there’s always this undercurrent of resentment, hatred and revenge flowing in Catalonia against the Spanish State. For Catalans El Cl·sico gifts them an outlet of expression, a channel through which they can vent their hunger for autonomy and statehood; for the Castilians, the tie is another instrument to re-assert their authority. Some believe that Catalonia is a nation and Barcelona its army.
