La Liga Split may Become a Reality with Catalonia’s Independence

If Catalonia becomes an independent country, Barcelona and Espanyol will be out of the Spanish Championship due to La Liga split.

Catalans have always insisted that they want to have an independent state from the rest of Spain. There are a number of elements as to why they want to achieve that aim: differences in social and political matters are relevant, while cultural and economic issues must also be observed. But these matters are perhaps less known to the public outside of Catalonia.

• La Liga could end up in a split, in case of Catalan independence
• FC Barcelona and Espanyol would be ousted form the Spanish championship
• President of Barca does not wish for his club to get involved in political matters

The biggest and most well-known difference stems from football. FC Barcelona represents Catalonia, while Real Madrid represents the capital of Spain. These two sides clash at least twice a year in a game that is known as El Clasico, which is a mouth-watering opportunity for mobile betting punters. But should Catalonia gain independence that may all be scrapped, as a La Liga split would be on the agenda. As a result, this would also affect lower Barcelona side Espanyol, so there would be two teams less in the Spanish Championship.

La Liga split is supported by LFP president Javier Tebas

President of the LFP (Liga de Futbol Profesional), Javier Tebas, voiced his opinion on his Twitter account on what will happen in the case of an independent Catalonia. The tweet was in Spanish, stating, “If Spain is broken up, La Liga breaks too. Hopefully, we’ll never get to that absurdity.” Although this seems like a frightening scenario, there is little doubt that this will rattle the heads of Catalonia to go ahead and proceed with their plans.

A party known as “Together for Yes” that strongly supports independence, could mark a new chapter in the autonomous community. If they are elected this Sunday, September 27, they plan to take measures to make further advancements in the independence of Catalonia. Freedom for the community would mean that Spain as a country would go back to the nation it was once in 1872 in terms of geography.

Si se rompe España, se rompe LaLiga. Esperemos no llegar nunca a ese absurdo.

— Javier Tebas Medrano (@Tebasjavier) September 20, 2015

If Tebas’ words are to be taken seriously, then a La Liga split, in case of independence, would have grave concerns for both of the Catalan clubs. What would this mean? And what changes would there for online sportsbooks in Spain? That Barcelona and Espanyol would play each other 20-30 times in one season in a league of their own? Or would there be a Catalan Championship that would include all the other clubs from the region? In that case, FC Barcelona would be the eternal winners of that competition. In fact, with the proposed La Liga split, we could see the same thing happening for Spain – Real Madrid would dominate indefinitely. Therefore, if you thought that La Liga is boring since there are only two top sides, then wait until you see what boring really is if a split really does happen…

FC Barcelona stays on the sidelines

Often times in history, FC Barcelona was viewed as a political instrument by Catalan heads in efforts to get their way. The club played an important role, as it was seen as a representation of all the Catalans, so politicians would try to utilize this element. For the upcoming elections the policy remains the same, as the iconic club refused to take an active part in the matter. Reported by ESPN, Barcelona’s president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, told Canal Plus, “We are not discussing the campaign, we are on the outside and we have shown this above and beyond all.”

He continued, “I will not voice an opinion. Outside of the campaign we always have opinions, but right now the (political) parties are battling for votes and in those cases, Barca have always remained neutral.” Bartomeu reiterated that FC Barcelona concentrates on sports and is not involved in political matters. “Barca has always demonstrated that we are not involved in election campaigns; we have always spoken about sport, we don’t take part in campaigns. I understand the politicians must, though. Barca are showing neutrality.”

Should there be independence, there would be a number of changes in regulations, including Spanish gambling laws. Punters would have to wait and see what new rules would apply to them, before they even think about placing a bet on Barcelona vs Espanyol for the 20th time…