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Catalonia national football team
The Catalonia national football team is the official football team of the Spanish autonomous community of Catalonia. It is organised by the Catalonia Football Federation. The team has been referred to by various names including Selecci Catalana, Selecci de Barcelona and the Catalan XI. Catalonia is not affiliated with either FIFA or UEFA and is therefore not allowed to participate in either the FIFA World Cup or the European Championship because the Spanish region of Catalonia is not a state. Catalan players are full Spanish citizens who are eligible to play for Spain. However since 1904, the team has played nearly 200 games against various national, regional and club teams.[1] Since 1997 they have played international friendly games more regularly. Among the teams they have played are Nigeria, Brazil and Argentina. Recent friendly games include a 4 2 win over Argentina at Camp Nou in December 2009,[2] and a 4 0 win over Honduras in December 2010. Their most recent friendly game was played in Cornell El Prat against opponents Nigeria in January 2013. The game finished in a 1 1 football kit draw and concluded Dutch great Johan Cruyff's stint as coach of the Catalonia national selection.
Catalonia national football team made their debut in 1904. Initially they played against various club teams such as Club Espanyol, Madrid CF, FC Barcelona and Irn Sporting Club. On February 2, 1912 they made their international friendly debut against France, losing 7 0 in Paris. The team was: Re, Irzar, Amecharruza, Alemany, Peris, Armet, Forns, Rodrguez, Comamala, Morales and Ramiro. On December 1, 1912 the two teams met again in Barcelona and this time the Catalans won 1 0. football shirt uk In 1914 the Catalan XI played the Euskadi XI for the first time, but there is no record of the result .[3] The first recorded game between the two teams took place on January 3, 1915 at San Mams Stadium. They finished as runners up in 1915 and won the Copa Prncep d'Astries for the first time in 1916, beating a Castile XI 8 5 over two games. They then retained the trophy in 1917 after beating the Castile XI 2 0. During the 1920s a team featuring Josep Samitier, Paulino Alcntara, Sagibarba and Ricardo Zamora helped the Catalan XI win the competition in 1922, 1924 and 1926. The last competition in 1926 was a play off between the two teams who had won the competition the most. The Catalans beat an Asturias XI 6 3 over two games.
As well as playing other regional teams from throughout Spain and Europe, the 1920s also saw the Catalan XI play several internationals friendly matches. On March 13, 1924 at the Les Corts, the Catalan XI played Spain for the first time. The Spain XI included Josep Samitier and Ricardo Zamora, two of the best Catalan players of the era while the Catalan XI featured Paulino Alcntara and Sagibarba. Samiter scored twice as the Spain XI won 7 0. On December 13, 1925 Samitier, Zamora, Alcntara and Sagibarba were on the same side as the Catalan XI beat Czechoslovakia at the Sarria. After conceding a penalty and going down 1 0, Sagibarba then equalised with another penalty before Samitier clinched a 2 1 win. On July 7, 1926 the Catalan XI played Czechoslovakia in Prague. However 1934 was a particularly good year. On February 2 they played Spain and lost 2 0 at Les Corts. However four months later they played Brazil twice. On June 17 cheap football shirts the Catalan XI beat Brazil 2 1 at Les Corts and then on June 24 they held them to a 2 2 draw at the Vista Alegre in Girona. The Brazil team had been in Europe to play in the official 1934 FIFA World Cup and included the legendary Lenidas in their team. The Catalan XI completed a good month when on June 29 they beat the reigning official La Liga champions, Athletic Bilbao 5 1.
The Franco era[edit]
After the Spanish Civil War, the dictator Franco imposed several restrictions on Catalonia, abolishing the Generalitat de Catalunya and banning the official use of the Catalan language and the regional flag. However the Catalan XI continued to play regularly during this period and even played Spain twice. On October 19, 1947 at the Sarri, with a team featuring Velasco, Mari Gonzalvo, Joan Segarra and Csar, they beat Spain 3 1. However on August 9, 1953 Spain avenged this defeat with a 6 0 win.
During this era several notable FC Barcelona players, including the Spanish players like Laszlo Kubala, Luis Surez, Evaristo and later, Jess Mara Pereda, all guested for the Catalan XI. On January 26, 1955 in a friendly game against Bologna at Les Corts, Kubala was also joined by another guest player, Alfredo Di Stfano. The Catalan XI won 6 2 with two goals from Kubala and one from Di Stfano. On September 1, 1956 Di Stfano returned to Les Corts with Real Madrid, recent winners of the first official European Cup, and played a Selecci de Barcelona. Real won the game 7 3.
The Catalan XI marked the end of the Franco era with a friendly game against the USSR at the Camp Nou on June 6, 1976. The team included Carles Rexach and guest Holland players Johan Cruyff and Johan Neeskens. The game finished 1 1 with Neeskens scoring for the Catalan XI. As a result of unofficial friendly team, a number of players who were not born in Catalonia have guested for the Catalan XI. With the notable exception of Di Stfano, most were playing for Barcelona at the time. Notice that some players, as Andrs Iniesta or Jordi Cruyff had lived most of their lives (and childhood) in Catalonia. Some others, as Sagibarba or Paul Alcntara had Catalan ancestors (for example, Alcntara was the son of a Catalan military officer in the Spanish Philippines, and moved to Barcelona after the Spanish American War as a child).