Spanish Superior Sports Council (CSD) President Miguel Cardenal "assured that he is not considering the possibility of Catalonia winning independence from Spain, but pointed out that legislation only allows for Spanish teams to participate in national competitions and that the example of Andorra is not comparable," according to the EFE. Cardenal: "I don't consider hypothetical situations that I do not believe are going to occur, but in any case, Spanish legislation only permits teams that are part of the country to participate in our competitions." Spanish Football League President Javier Tebas said on Tuesday that if Catalonia wins independence, "neither Espanyol nor Barcelona would be able to participate in La Liga under current law" (EFE, 10/8).
BARCELONA TO LIGUE 1?: LIBERTAD DIGITAL reported Barcelona "did not wait long to react" to the comments by Tebas. The team is reportedly "considering the option of moving to join France's Ligue 1." It has "even been confirmed that Barcelona officials have consulted with directors of the French league on the possibility, in case a change to Spanish legislation cannot be brought about." What is "not so clear is if Ligue 1 would accept a foreign team." Beyond "political considerations, many would not be happy to see the arrival of a club like Barcelona that could destabilize the competition." Others, however, "believe it would allow Ligue 1 to make a jump in quality." The "hackneyed Monaco argument does not work." Monaco has had a "special relationship of fraternity with the country for centuries" (LIBERTAD DIGITAL, 10/8).
IN CATALONIA: The Catalan Pro-National Sports Teams Platform has accused Tebas of wanting to "inspire fear" with his comments. The platform said that both Barcelona and Espanyol will play "where they want," asking if "anyone believes the LFP will allow Barcelona to leave." The group said in a statement, "Barcelona has already said it would keep playing in the Spanish league" (MARCA, 10/7).
