Here is the article I’ve found.
I think it’s really cool to look at the perspectives at play in this article. The people of Cataluña and the Basque country want these teams to represent and be the forefront for their nationalist movements, but at least the Catalan players continue the tradition of saying whatever the people want to hear. Xavi’s quote is an example of this, how he says the likes to play for Cataluña but ultimately would play for Spain, not Cataluña. This quote is classic, “The players do so carefully stressing their allegiance to Catalonia, while never publicly championing it ahead of their loyalty to a Spain they have all represented with distinction.” Why would these Catalan players try to change a system that they are extremely successful at? The Catalans have always been known as “wheeler-dealers” and negotiators, so it’s really cool to watch this play out.
This article and story are so interesting. I really enjoyed reading it. I find it interesting how the Catalonians, in their quest for independence, find every possible way to stress their sovereignty and desire of how they wish to be thought of as separate. Clearly, political struggles and cultural battle spill out into the soccer field along with players. I think that most Catalan players on the Spanish will probably continue playing for Spain despite their ethnic ancestry though. I think most enjoy the game and the lucrative benefits from soccer over affiliating themselves with a controversial movement that has even impacted FIFA.
It definitely will be interesting to watch, Cataluña has been trying to become their own country for a long time (with strong movements to separate from Spain now and during the 1970s) and Barcelona FC and its stadium were the only places the people could go to celebrate being Catalan while under the dictatorship of Franco. Who knows where the players would end up if there was a split.