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What's the story?
The match between Brazil U-17 and Spanish U-17 not only saw a riveting contest on the field, but also witnessed devotional works done by the ardent FC Barcelona supporters.
Cules of Kerala, ardent supporters of FC Barcelona went into the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi, established their presence in the stage with banners supporting the Catalonian referendum.
In case you didn't know...
The European country, Spain is witnessing internal conflicts between Spanish nationalists and Catalonian freedom fighters. The hues and cries for a new country called Catalonia has been in the process almost for a century.
European football giants, FC Barcelona is considered as the symbol of Catalonian independence for a long time. A team that has fans throughout the world, the FC Barcelona's presence has helped these freedom fighters to bring the attention of the world to Catalonia.
The heart of the matter
FC Barcelona supporters, Cules of Kerala marched into the stadium with many banners supporting the Catalonian referendum. The supporters had brought worldwide attention regarding extending their backing to Catalonia, in their bid to part from Spain.
Their banner's read "Catalonia is not Spain", "Cules of Kerala" and 'Cules of India' wishes the young talents of FC Barcelona all the best for their U-17 matches'.
What's next?
UEFA recently fined a Catalan fan group for raising banners supporting the Catalonian independence. With the conflicts still being in process in Catalonia, Spanish football has become the media for these society based problems to get attention.
Catalonia's independence will certainly harm the pride of Spain, that's what we could find from the brutal responses of the rulers. If Catalonia could manage to get independence, FC Barcelona may opt to play in either French league or Premier League, questioning the existence of La Liga.
Author's take:
The raising of banners by Indian Football fans regarding the world wide problems are not a strange incident. 'Wenger out!' banners were seen in the India U-17 side's match against USA. Although, such incidents are common, the banners raised by th FC Barcelona fans amidst the struggles have again rekindled the passion of India in football.
