With his giant tifo, his banners, shouting "Llibertat! " the Camp Nou audience voiced their independence demands on Wednesday, December 18, before kick-off and during the meeting between Barcelona and Real Madrid, which were watched by more than 650 million viewers around the world, according to La Liga.
The clasico, originally scheduled for October 26 in Barcelona, had to be postponed for "Exceptional reasons" according to the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), due to incessant mobilisations and violent clashes in Catalonia. It took place in a tense context, marked in particular by a police charge near Camp Nou which left a dozen injured.
Events in and around the stadium
The 5,000 demonstrators identified by the police blocked traffic around the stadium at the end of the afternoon, in a festive atmosphere. In the stands, the only difference from another meeting was the deployment of thousands of blue banners and a large yellow one displaying "#SpainSitAndTalk" (Spain, sit down and dialogue, in English) and "Freedom" (freedom), the slogan of the independence platform Tsunami democratic, at the origin of this action. And, at 55e minute, the few tens of balls launched on the lawn from the stands, while the game was already stopped for a Catalan substitute.
In the end, the game ended in a draw. Barcelona and Real Madrid continue to share first place in the Spanish Championship. "There’s a lot going on around it but, ultimately, what people want to see is a good football match", Zidane summed up on Tuesday.
