FC Barcelona has decided not to hold the tribute to the club's players who were crowned world champions last July at Spotify Camp Nou, considering that "because it does not take place in the context and at the most appropriate moment." Instead, the Catalan entity will organize a specific act of support and visibility for the estelada this Thursday, motivated by what happened last Sunday in Elche between a fan carrying this flag and the police.
"No, we have decided that the act we wanted to do to recognize the Barça players who won the World Cup and that was proposed to us by the Royal Spanish Football Federation will not take place because it does not occur in the context and in the most appropriate environment, or the most appropriate moment," expressed Laporta in statements to the club's official media.
The president explained that the determination has already been communicated to the RFEF and that in the federation "they have understood perfectly." "It will not take place because we understand that football should serve to unite and not to generate certain confrontations that I believe are not beneficial to anyone," he concluded, referring to the act that was going to recognize Lamine Yamal, Pedri González, Pau Cubarsí, Dani Olmo, Gavi, Joan Garcia, Eric Garcia, the newly incorporated Rodri Hernández, and also Ferran Torres, now at French PSG after his transfer.
At the same time, Laporta confirmed that the club will promote an act of "exaltation" of the estelada during the match this Thursday at Spotify Camp Nou against Athletic Club, as a direct response to what happened at Martínez Valero in Elche, where a young fan was subdued by the police when entering the stadium with this flag.
"The estelada represents the way of thinking of many culés and Catalans. In fact, I would say that Spain is defined as a social and democratic state of law, in which freedom of expression is part of its fundamental rights in the Spanish Constitution. And the estelada, in this sense, is within the framework of freedom of expression," warned Laporta.
For the leader, this symbol "expresses the longings for freedom and the will to be free of many culés and Catalans." "And, therefore, I understand that it must be respected. This will is part of freedom of expression and, moreover, it is a way of expressing ourselves peacefully and that does not generate either violence or hatred," he emphasized.
"The estelada must be respected, from my point of view, because it represents our longings for freedom, just as all other symbols that express a certain way of thinking must be respected, as long as it is done peacefully, non-violently and does not generate hate," he stated.
The blaugrana club also expressed its rejection and condemnation of "the disproportionate and violent action" of the police officers last Sunday against the young fan who attended with an estelada at the Martínez Valero to witness the match against Elche CF, and with whom they have made themselves "available to help with whatever is necessary in this regard" both for him and his family.
In this line, the entity, which had already publicly criticized the events on Monday, demands that, "once the facts are confirmed" and after analyzing some images that they consider "harrowing and very clear," the involved police officers "face their punishment and sanctions corresponding to these cases." "And that this act of exaltation at Spotify Camp Nou serves once and for all so that the culés and the Catalans can go with the estelada without our physical integrity being at risk and that it also serves once and for all so that the estelada is not stigmatized and stops being stigmatized by the security and public order forces," he stated.