FCBarcelona is like a film whose inside there are passion success,
disappointment and even crime.
FC Barcelona is more than a club,
exactly like as Bobby Robson said when he worked in Barcelona:
"There is a country named Catalonia and army of this country is Barcelona!"
Futbol Club Barcelona was founded on 29th November 1899
on the initiative of a Swiss enthusiast called Hans Maximilian
Gamper, popularly known by the name of Joan Gamper.
He, together with eleven collaborators, created a club
that has become the reflection of the civic conscience
of a country characterized by integration and
solidarity: Catalonia... With its striking blue
and claret colours and football full of passion and
flavour, Barcelona has caught the imagination of
far more people than those in the Catalan region
it has become identified with. Thanks in large
part to the contribution, first as player and then
as coach, of the flying Dutchman Johan
Cruyff the team has won fans all across
the globe, most notably in Brazil where the
recent exploits of Romario, Ronaldo, Rivaldo and now
Ronaldinho have created a common bond. Over the
more than 105 years of its history, Barça has become
a unique social phenomenon that goes beyond the
strictly sporting arena.
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The Club has grown together with its city,
Barcelona, and has gradually become the
representative of our country around the world.
Through football, the Catalan people found
a way of expressing their identity during
many years of political repression. But
the history of the club goes back
much further and much deeper. In
fact it was a Swiss, Joan Gamper, who founded the club in
1899 as football caught fire all over Europe. The English
influence, its flag prominent in the club's emblem, was
also important in those early days with Gualteri Wild
becoming the club's first president. Barcelona won
the first-ever Spanish championship but their popularity
and their increasing association with Catalan nationalist
sentiment led to the closure of their ground in 1925,
a time under the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera.
There were dark days during the civil war and its
immediate aftermath following Franco's victory.
But this period of struggle served to shape the
club's special identity and its values. The arrival
of Hungarian player Ladislau Kubala in 1950 signalled
a change in the club's sporting fortunes.
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Between 1951 and 1953, Barça won back-to-back
titles and with membership growing once more,
the then 100,000-capacity Camp Nou replaced
the Les Corts stadium as its new home.
A number of great figures graced the
park in their new patch but the club's
failure in the tug of war with
Franco-backed Real Madrid to capture
Alfredo Di Stefano meant that they would
remain in the shadow of the team from
the capital for the next decade and more.
In fact it was not until Cruyff and his
Dutch team-mate Johan Neeskens arrived in 1973
that Barcelona's fortunes took a turn for the better.
Even following the death of the Spanish dictator,
matches against their rivals Real Madrid remained
one of the most fiercely fought football contests
on the planet. Their greatest prize, the European Cup,
finally reached Catalan shores in 1992 when Cruyff,
now coach, and his dream team including Laudrup,
Stoitchkov, Guardiola and Koeman were reaching
their peak. On and off the pitch, the Dutch connection
has continued until the present day with Frank Rijkaard
currently coach.
Twenty-four Copa Del Rey titles, 17 Spanish titles and a
record as the only club to have been present in European
competitions since 1955, but Barcelona's one European
Cup to Madrid's nine remains a touchy statistic.
Nevertheless, playing a stylish brand of football,
the team has never been more popular and boasts
a world record number of members. Barcelona has
also extended to cover more sports including basketball,
handball, roller hockey, athletics, field hockey, ice hockey,
figure skating, futsal, rugby, baseball, volleyball, cycling
and women's football. For the men's team good times
could be just around the corner. Under the era of
president Joan Laporta, a team of stars has emerged.
With world player of the year Ronaldinho, Deco,
African player of the year Samuel Eto'o and a
solid base of Catalan players, the club seems
set for more dreams. At present, Barça has
more members than any other football club
in the world, almost 130.000, and can boast
one of the most impressive sporting histories.
The long list of great victories and legendary
footballers that have worn the Barça colours,
such as Samitier, Alcántara, Kubala, Suárez,
Cruyff, Maradona, Romário, Ronaldo and
Ronaldinho shape the reality of Barça.
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Barça belongs to its 134.000 members.
Every four years, they choose the president
and the Board of directors who manage
the club. They have the right to
speak and to vote. This is a
fundamental characteristic
in understanding the democratic and
participative nature of the club.
In addition, FC Barcelona is
the most important multi-sport club in the world. It has more than 2.000
sportspeople, divided among more than one hundred teams which
compete in thirteen different sports: basketball, handball, roller
hockey, women's football, indoor football, cycling, athletics,
field hockey, ice hockey, rugby, baseball, volleyball and
figure skating. No other club competes in so many disciplines,
and in four sports it competes at the highest international level
(football, basketball, handball and roller hockey) and has
achieved the top European honours. A singular fact
that helps to explain the club's greatness is the number
of fans it has around the world, organized into
official fan clubs. At present, there are more than 1600 of
these fan clubs spread among the five continents and
sharing a common goal and passion for Barça.
VISCA EL
