Barcelona and Sevilla head into Sunday’s Copa del Rey final on the back of their respective Liga BBVA and Europa League triumphs, but political tension could be the theme of the 2016 affair.
With the game set to be held at Atletico Madrid’s Vicente Calderon Stadium, authorities from the Spanish capital announced a decision to ban the Estelada – the pro-Catalan independence flag always on display at Camp Nou – from the weekend clash with Unai Emery’s crew.
The announcement claims that all politically-charged flags will be prohibited from the venue of the May 22 final, but the Blaugrana – the tournament’s most successful side with 27 titles – blasted this decision as “an attack on the freedom of expression” in on official statement on the club’s website.
The reigning Spanish Primera Division champions wrote: “FC Barcelona expresses, in the most absolute terms, its total and complete disagreement with the announcement.
“FC Barcelona considers the decision to be an attack on the freedom of expression, the fundamental right of each and every individual to express their ideas and opinions freely and without censorship, a right which is recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”
Both the mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau and the president of Catalonia – the semi-autonomous region in Spain campaigning for independence – Carles Puigdemont revealed that they will be boycotting the Copa del Rey final as a result of the decision to ban the Estelada, as per RT News.
Luis Enrque's side, however, won't accept the decision without a fight, revealing that they have filed an administrative appeal to the Madrid Courts on the grounds of the protection of fundamental rights.
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