Barcelona claim the Spanish government’s ban on Catalonia’s separatist flags during their Copa del Rey final is “an attack on freedom of expression.”
The La Liga champions released a statement expressing its “total and complete disagreement” with the announcement made on Wednesday, four days before the final against Sevilla at the Vicente Calderon.
Barcelona say the decision is an attack “on the fundamental right of each and every individual to express their ideas and opinions freely and without censorship.”
Officials said the ban of the politically-charged ‘Estelada’ flags was approved as part of security measures being implemented for the game at the home of Atletico Madrid.
However, Barcelona reacted by calling for “the use of common sense” and demanded the government to “respect the honour of the institutions involved and to avoid causing any uncomfortable situations.”
It’s not the first time Barcelona have experienced problems with the unveiling of flags by their supporters.
The club were fined 30,000 euros (£22,000) in 2015 for breaching article 16 of UEFA’s disciplinary regulations – order and security at matches – after fans displayed pro-Catalan independence flags during their Champions League final with Juventus.
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