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Shaurya Sati

Professor Gonzalez

ENC 1102

March 14 2024

Literature Review/Annotated Bib

As football around the world continues to be the most popular sport in the world by a

wide margin, we constantly see the ultras (super fans of a club) and other basic fans support their

club weekend and week out. As strong as these fandoms for their respective club, one seems to

stand above the rest as the bond between F.C. Barcelona and their supporters transcend the

boundary of just football. The signature slogan of the Club given to by the fans is “Mes que un

Club” which translates to more than a club. This is illustrated as the supporters known as the

“Catalans” seem to care much more about than just the results as they care about the style of play

from F.C. Barcelona. It also goes much deeper than that as well as the Club is used as a central

figure for Catalonia and their fight for sovereignty against Spain as well as representing the

Catalan identity.

There is a lot of research about why the bond between Barca and their Supporters is so

strong as it is rivaled by no other in the sports world. Most of the sources I have collected point

to the reason why the bond is so strong is due to the club being a central point for Catalan

Identity and Catalonia’s fight for sovereignty against Spain as well as being open for all sorts of

people. In the article “In Barcelona, a Football Club’s Vision Persists” written by Charlotte Zhou,

Zhou talks about how the Catalyn Football Club is “anything but silent” when it comes to Spain
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and Catalonia political tension. Zhou then gives a brief review of the history between the two

sides. He starts by talking about how it started with the conclusion of the War of Spanish

Succession, how Catalonia was subjected to Spanish Rule and with the rise of the Dictator

Franco, Catalonians were seen as inferior by pure Spaniards as the language of Catalan was

looked down upon by them. Zhou then transitions and talks about how with the growth of the

sport of football throughout Europe, the Catalans rallied around the football club named F.C.

Barcelona as a hub for political and cultural philosophies and/or ideas. However, Franco saw this

as propaganda and ordered the club to change their name from F.C. Barcelona to “Barcelona

CF”. This was the name of the club until Franco’s death in 1974 to which the club switched back

to its original name and continued to use the club as an outlet of Catalyn culture and identity,

mainly freedom for all. The catalan language and flag was soon relegalized after Franco’s death

as well. Fans and supporters of the club continue to keep their history alive by yelling

“Indepencia” when the match clock hits 17:14. Zhou then switches to how the players and

members of the club are advocates for the Catalonian freedom and sovereignty as well

mentioning how Pep Guardiola (legendary manager of F.C. Barcelona) and Gerard Pique

(legendary centre back of the club) fight for Catalonia strengthening the bond between club and

supporter. Zhou explains how the bond between club and fans going deeper than sports by

showing how the club is used for the central hub for politics and fight for Catalonia, this

contrasts to the article “FC Barcelona: More than a Club, a Legacy of Emotion and Excellence”

written by Nico Scapa. Scapa details a fan's perspective on why he fell in love with the club

despite no connection to the club. He details Total Football, Total Emotion otherwise known as

Tiki Taka. It’s a style of football “characterized by intricate passing, ball possession, and fluid

movement. This approach is not just a tactical choice; it’s an emotional expression of the club’s
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core values — teamwork, creativity, and joy. Scapa shows how global fans of the club who don’t

have that personal connection to Barcelona become fans of not only the club but which the style

it displays showing how many of their supporters are attracted to the club based on style which

contrasts to Zhou whom illustrates the political and cultural aspect in which their bond with the

club exceeds the game. Both of these authors provide two ways in which people become fans of

the club and how the bond both transcends the boundary of sports whether due to style or culture.

Two more of my sources that are similar to Zhou’s article are articles titled Much ‘more than a

club’: Football Club Barcelona’s contribution to the rise of a national consciousness in Catalonia

(2003–2014)” and “The political stance of sport: FC Barcelona and the sovereignty process of

Catalonia (2012-2017)”. These two articles like Zhou’s article show how the club represents the

state of catalonia in political and societal issues, helping the voiceless in Catalonia and even

more strengthening the bond between the fans and the club as they both show the club helping

Catalonia in their sovereignty process. Another one of my sources that are similar to the three

sources mentioned before is “Politics, Identity, Global Branding, and the Stadium: FC

Barcelona’s Camp Nou” in which they talk about how the Barca’s iconic stadium “Camp Nou”

serves as a site of resistance and a place where narratives of Catalan cultural and political

identities are reproduced displaying another reason why their relationship between club and fans

is so much more than sports. One more of my sources that agree with these is the article titled

“Football as a tactical innovation for mobilization: a study of FC Barcelona and the Catalan

independence movement” which also details the club helping the nation of catalonia similarly to

the other sources do as well linking all these sources and showing how the club and their

supporters relationship transcends the boundaries of sports.

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With Barcelona being the capital of Catalonia, the city bleeds and resembles Catalan

Identity being respectful to all and accepting of others. This is seen in the article titled

“Barcelona, an LGBTI city” it shows how Barcelona is one of the most accepting cities of

LGBTQ people. This resonates with the article “Identity” in which an article is used to display

the 5 key values of F.C. Barcelona and one of them being respect, which correlates with the

article mentioned before as both the Club and the city share the same key values with the club

teaching it to their youth, again showing how this bond between team and fans is like no other in

sports.

F.C. Barcelona fans will back their players to the utmost and will be loyal for eternity.

This is displayed in my source showing how the Barca fans are chanting Lionel Messi’s name

during the 10th minute despite leaving the club in heartbreaking fashion 2 and half years prior

establishing the love between the club legends and people of Catalonia. This isn’t always the

case between club and players though. Arsenal legend Mesut Ozil, in an article titled “Mesut

Ozil’s Arsenal exile: footballing reasons or political?”, questioned the club’s loyalty as they

exiled him after he spoke out against the Uighur treatment in China which sparked outrage in

which the club turned their back on them. These pieces of research illustrates the difference

between the relation of Barca and their fans/players compared to other Club’s in Arsenal

showing that their bond is stronger as seen with the comparisons of these sources.
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Annotated Bibliography

Zhou, Charlotte. “In Barcelona, a Football Club’s Vision Persists.” The Science Survey,

thesciencesurvey.com/sports/2024/03/08/in-barcelona-a-football-clubs-vision-persis
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ts/#:~:text=In%20shades%20of%20red%2C%20blue,to%20Catalonia’s%20fight%2

0for%20sovereignty. Accessed 10 Mar. 2024.

One of the main points of this source is to highlight the history of Spain and Catalonia. The
author highlights how the political tension between Spain and Catalonia began and the origins of
it. He starts off by talking about how it goes back to the War of Spanish Succession and then
through the dictatorship of Franco and how he was discriminatory to anyone who is from
Catalonia and spoke Catalan. The author then shifts his focus on the origins of F.C. Barcelona
and how the club was founded by 12 foreigners with John Gamper as the head of that group. He
then starts talking about how the football club is very active and not afraid to voice their support
for Catalonia’s independence from Spain. Also, the author highlights how the football club uses
the media for an outlet of Catalan culture. One more big point the author uses in the source is
how big star players and managers are also voicing their support for Catalonia in their ongoing
political tension with Spain, not only sticking to the sport.

I picked this source because this article perfectly demonstrates the relationship between the
supporters of Barca and the club, transcending the boundaries of sports for something much
larger as which see in the article is for sovereignty for Catalonia. This source also links with
some of my other sources because other sources I have in this annotated bib also represent the
relationship of club and fan being much stronger than other clubs and their supporters but in
different aspects.

Scapa, Nico. “‘FC Barcelona: More than a Club, a Legacy of Emotion and Excellence.’”

Medium, Medium, 23 Sept. 2023,

medium.com/@nicoscapa/fc-barcelona-more-than-a-club-a-legacy-of-emotion-and-

excellence-e6991aa15fde.

The main point of this source is a fan of the barcelona football club and he details how he
fell in love with the club. He details how there were three main aspects/points on how he
fell in love with the club. The first main point he says is how Barca is more than a football
club and how it is an emotional journey transcending the boundaries of sports, even saying
how it's a beacon of hope. The second main point is how he talks about the playstyle and
identity of the club leading him to become a fan of it by talking about the development of
total football, and total emotion, otherwise known as tiki taka. The last main point he
highlights is how through heartbreak and triumphs the support for the team never waivers.

I picked this source because this source describes how much more than a club that Barca is
and gives us an idea why fans are so obsessed with the club even looking past the results,
good or bad. It also lines up with my research question because like I said before it gives us
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a sense on how this club means so much more than fans supporting a team because it
represents the values of the people of Barcelona

“Identity.” FC Barcelona Official Channel, www.fcbarcelona.com/en/club/identity.

Accessed 10 Mar. 2024.

The main point of this source is listing the main priorities and the key values of this club
This comes directly from the official F.C. Barcelona website. It lists the 5 key values that
represent the club more than anything. The first value is respect, in which it talks about
how respect for others and even yourself is a principle that is a simple fundamental aspect
of life and how you need respect to be part of society. The second value is effort. They say
talent and effort can only take you so far in life but with effort, people can reach new
heights. The next one is Ambition. They say how with ambition you can develop a desire
that will help you in all aspects of life. Following ambition is teamwork. Like respect,
teamwork is a fundamental part of life and is a great quality that everyone should have. The
last value they list of the key values is humility, saying that no matter the success you have
and heights you reach, you should never change and stay humble.

I picked this source because this source represents the morals of the club and what the club
is like. It links with my second source in this annotated bib, as that source talks about how
he loves the club for the identity and playstyle, while this source shows why the people and
fan love that because of the morals the players carry themselves with

Starling, Mike. “Mesut Ozil’s Arsenal Exile: Footballing Reasons or Political?” Theweek,

The Week, 22 Oct. 2020,

theweek.com/football/108460/mesut-ozil-arsenal-exile-footballing-reasons-or-politi

cal.

This source is about the controversy surrounding Mesut Ozil and Arsenal football club. The
author of this source was highlighting the issue between Ozil and Arsenal after Ozil made
comments of the treatment of Uygur muslims in China saying how badly they have been treated
and how they are in awful conditions. Arsenal then told Ozil to stop talking about the situation
with Uygur Muslims, but he didn’t and this led to Arsenal putting Ozil in exile and banning him
from all club activities. This led to major controversy all over the media and news as they kept
asking what Ozil did wrong as Arsenal kept deflecting questions. The author then shifts the focus
of the situation to how this caused major tension between the club and fans as Ozil was a star
player and loved by the Arsenal supporters.

I picked this source because this source backs up my claim of Barca and their supporters having
a stronger bond than other clubs and their supporters. Here, we have an example of club and fans
having tension between them while in tense situations Barca and their supporters mostly have a
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close relation. The source also lines with my research question as I said in my research question
that Barca’s bond with their fans are nothing like the rest of other teams.

Gittins, William. “Barcelona Fans Chant for Messi in Tenth Minute.” Diario AS, 10 Apr.

2023, en.as.com/soccer/barcelona-fans-chant-for-messi-in-tenth-minute-n/.

The main focus of this source is to highlight how Barca fans always support their club legends
no matter what. Lionel Messi, who is the club’s all time leading goal scorer and all time leader in
assists as well, left in heart-breaking fashion in August of 2021 after Barca couldn’t afford his
wages anymore despite Messi willing to a 50% discount. The author focuses on how the fans
during the 10th minute started to chant “Messi” in a match against Real Sociedad on April 10,
2023. The authors talk about how the whole camp nou (Barca’s home stadium) everyone got on
their feet in order to chant Messi’s names despite being removed from the club a year and a half
later. Even the commentators were distracted from the match and acknowledged the chants as
they were filling the stadium with Messi echoes.

I picked this source because this highlights the bond between fans and barca even more as Leo
Messi, despite being away from the club, still receives ever lasting support and proves how their
relationship really does transcend sports. This source also links with the Mesut Ozil source as it
shows a major contrast between the two clubs and their supporters during heartbreaking/tension
situations.

“Barcelona, an LGBTI CITY.” Meet Barcelona,

www.meet.barcelona/en/visit-and-love-it/barcelona-lgbti-city#:~:text=The%20Cata

lan%20capital%20is%20a,a%20demonstration%20for%20LGBTI%20rights.

Accessed 15 Mar. 2024.

This source talks about how Barca is a pro-LGBTQI and is fully supportive of their rights and
gives them equal freedom as everyone else. It then talks about how big this is as Barcelona is a
major city and how important this is for gay people around the world as if more big cities keep
accepting them and giving them full support this can change for the world. It also talks about in
the source how surprising this move is as Spain is usually a very religious country which looks
down on the LGBTQI.

I picked this source because the source represents what Catalonia is about accepting other
cultures and being welcoming to others as this is what Catalonia themselves is fighting for
themselves as they want sovereignty from Spain. It also links up with my other sources as this
source is evidence of what Catalonia is fighting for and their cause and as well as how the club
supports them.
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Shobe, H. (1970, January 1). Politics, identity, global branding, and the stadium: FC

Barcelona’s Camp Nou. SpringerLink.

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-29144-9_6

This source talks about Barca's iconic stadium known around the world as the camp nou.
The article starts by talking about the political and identical aspects of the Camp nou as it
talks about how the camp nou is an outlet for catalan culture to spread across catalonia
which helps them get their message out for their fight for sovereignty against the Spanish.
He then talks about how the camp nou is designed to expand and enlarge the global brand
of the club so it can be seen across the world so they can gather new fans and in doing so it
helps Catalonia even more as their message spreads world wide pressuring the Spanish
government more.

I chose this source because this is yet another source that proves my claim about how the
club’s relationship with their fans is rivaled by none. In the source we even see how the
stadium incorporates catalan culture and spreads it, enlarging the bond between the people
and the club. This source also links with my other sources as they too show how the claim
is right as well providing different examples on how the club’s fans and Barca have an
everlasting relation as hot as fire.

Mendez, Pullerio, Carlos. “The political stance of sport: FC Barcelona and the sovereignty

process of Catalonia (2012-2017).” 21, Apr. 2021.Full article: The political stance

of sport: FC Barcelona and the sovereignty process of Catalonia (2012-2017)

(tandfonline.com). Accessed 31 Mar. 2024.

The source talks about how Barcelona is a big part if not the biggest part of the sovereignty
process of catalonia. It starts off by saying how since the origins of the club and the very
beginning F.C. Barcelona has been more than a football club as it has been heavily committed to
the Catalan Identity. He also talks about the club with democratic universal values, is one of the
best examples to define football as a great cultural institution that makes up national identities
throughout the world. The author then gives other examples of other football clubs doing it as
well and contrasting the difference between them. Another main point by the author in the source
is that since 2012 the club has been participating with Catalonia with “proces”.

I picked this article for my research because this source shows the club helping Catalonia with a
major issue and specific example of it being “proces” and how the club has helped with that and
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been a major contributor for Catalans. This lines up with my research question as my research
question is talking about how the bond between the team and their supporters transcends the
boundaries of sports and this shows it.

Berdun, Juventeny, Silvia.Much ‘More than a Club’: Football Club Barcelona’s

Contribution to the rise of national consciousness (2003-2014),
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14660970.2016.1267624?af=R&.
Accessed 1 Apr. 2024.

This article was about the awareness that Barca have brought to Catalonia. The author
says how Barca is a platform for Catalan national consciousness. The article talks about
how during a time in which Catalonia was in a major point in their relations to Spain as
they claim to have the right for national self-determination as well as presenting the
possibility of secession. Here it is seen that Barca boost the strength of the Catalan
nationalist through dynamic characteristics. It then talks about how through the years of
2003-2014, Barca is a major key in advancing claims that Cataolonia is a sovereign
nation with its own rights to make about its own political future.

I picked this source because this sources shows how the football club helps Catalonia
with their politics and how it also fights for Catalonia’s right to make their own decisions
as well as in the source we see Barca putting in the work for that. This article links with a
couple of my other sources on how Barca helps Catalans with issues deeper than sports
which my other sources do say however this one goes more in depth of the political
issues more than the other sources do.

Seangkumchoo, Phawin. “Football as a tactical innovation for mobilization: a study of FC

Barcelona and the Catalan independence movement”. Football as a tactical

innovation for mobilization: a study of FC Barc" by Phawin Seangkumchoo

(chula.ac.th).Accessed 31 Mar. 2024.

In the source it talks about how football which was used mean ‘FC Barcelona,’ one of the
famous football club in the world. This study explores through sources such as analyzing mainly
research articles, interviews, reports, and other media outlets. First, Barça as representation of the
Catalan values. The club promoted the Catalan struggle issue to the world. This study aims to
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identify how football play role in the Catalan struggle. And third, Barça as an instrument to
foster Catalan identity. FC Barcelona has an impact on the Catalan Independence Movement in 3
three dimensions. In Catalan, the referendum on independence was issued in 2009-2011, 2014,
and 2017. One of the important keys to achieving aims is the creativity of the new tactical forms;
therefore, Catalan mobilization use ‘football’ as creativity to create the new tactical innovation to
protest. The Catalan mobilization not only marches on the street but also plays their role through
the Spanish political procedure. The Catalan Independence Movement is the movement in the
Northern region of Spain which aims to be independent from Spain cause of problems in politics
and economic. This study focuses on the Catalan mobilization tactical innovation which uses
football as a tool against Spain. Second, Barça as a save space for Catalan mobilization. With the
theory of tactical Innovation, social movement will disrupt normal situation to attract interest of
group’s opponent and the society.

I chose this source because it links with one of my other sources on how Barcelona helps
Catalonia with political issues and their fight for independent decision making and it shows how
again the club being the central hub for support of Catalonia.