The faces of two young footballers have dominated the front covers of Spain’s two biggest-selling sports newspapers this summer. In just two months, AS featured Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (or Neymar for short) 28 times and Sergio ‘Kun’ Agüero’s 20 times in their leading photograph and/or story. Neymar also battled Agüero for top spot on the front page of Marca, which led with the Brazilian 22 times and the Argentinean on 15 occasions. One or both players was prominent on the front page of AS and Marca 41 and 34 days respectively. AS readers were met with Agüero’s face five mornings in a row from June 9 to 13. Neymar matched that run with Marca from July 6 to 10. The fun began within … [Read more...] about Mourinho shuns headlines to underline Madrid’s new balance of power
Archives for July 2011
Celebrating Santiago’s ever-changing afterlife
When Spanish troops arrived in Iraq in 2004 to help the allied occupation of the country, they looked much like any other force of Western troops, wearing uniform and wielding guns. But a closer look showed them wearing something that spoke very clearly of their Spanish identity and history: the red cross of Santiago Matamoros, or Saint James the Moorslayer. It was a crass gesture, given the Muslim enemy they were going to fight, but Spain and particularly its military have used St James as a symbol of inspiration in different guises for the last 1,200 years. July 25 is the feast day of Spain’s patron saint, when he and the extravagant legend surrounding his afterlife are … [Read more...] about Celebrating Santiago’s ever-changing afterlife
¡Viva la corrupción!
The unthinkable has happened and Valencia regional premier Francisco Camps has stood down due to his imminent trial to face corruption charges. The decision, it seems, did not come from Camps himself, who had clung to his post like a limpet despite mounting evidence that he received around €14,000 worth of tailored clothes from businessmen in exchange for awarding lucrative contracts on behalf of the regional government. Instead, it was reportedly Popular Party leader Mariano Rajoy who pressured Camps to either step aside or declare himself guilty. Either option would avoid a damaging corruption trial of a high-profile PP baron in the autumn, when the party might be waging a general … [Read more...] about ¡Viva la corrupción!
Democracy 2.0 and the 15-M movement
The 15-M movement, organized by ¡Democracia Real Ya!, has had an important impact on Spanish public opinion and has spread to other countries. It is undeniable that new communications channels on the internet have contributed to the expansion of its ideals, but they have not been the only methods by which the movement has been fuelled and motivated. The Cocktail Analysis, a consultancy, recently published a study called Movilización y redes sociales (Mobilization and social networks) looking at how Spanish web users evaluate the 15-M movement. Contrary to what many may think, most people first became aware of 15-M on the television (51.9 percent versus 29.6 percent who found out first on … [Read more...] about Democracy 2.0 and the 15-M movement
Revisiting Laurie Lee’s Spain
The vista below me spread from Ronda to the Rif, a classical arrangement of sea and rock, with the mouth of the Mediterranean pierced by the wash of ships tracing a course as old as Homer. Kites and kestrels swung silently overhead, smouldering in the evening sun; and twilight approached, the pillars of Hercules turned purple and the sea poured between them in a flush of lavender. Alone, with my back to a sun-warmed rock, I finished the last of my food, gazing where Africa and Europe touched fingertips in this merging of day and night. It is over three-quarters of a century since a young Laurie Lee disembarked at the Galician city of Vigo, having crossed the Bay of Biscay, with a violin … [Read more...] about Revisiting Laurie Lee’s Spain
Will Spain’s basketball league benefit from NBA lockout?
Spain's Mundo Deportivo recently posted an online poll asking which NBA player Spaniards want to see play in the ACB League. Kobe Bryant won with 28 percent, followed by his teammate and Spaniard Pau Gasol, with 17 percent. Spain exports many of its finest players such as Ricky Rubio, who has gone to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and in any other year, Bryant’s arrival and Gasol’s homecoming would be a fantasy for Spanish basketball fans. But this year there is a glimmer of hope. On July 1, NBA owners locked out their players over lengthy contract disputes, which have lasted years. All contracts are suspended and any form of communication is prohibited, including social media, between … [Read more...] about Will Spain’s basketball league benefit from NBA lockout?
Rubalcaba’s challenge goes beyond “Listen, do, explain”
On Saturday, July 9, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba will be formally declared the Socialist Party candidate for the next general election. By the party’s own admission, this is a watershed moment. The interior minister is unlikely to offer concrete policy detail, but he is expected to outline the direction he intends to take the party as the vote nears. “Listen, do, explain,” is his slogan for the coming months. It’s banal and fairly meaningless, but then most such slogans are. The real challenge for him will be to navigate a political course that distances him from the burnt-out image of his boss (and still party leader) José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero without looking too cynical in doing so. A … [Read more...] about Rubalcaba’s challenge goes beyond “Listen, do, explain”
A literary trip through Toledo’s historical labyrinth
Even before I moved to Spain, and particularly before I started reading about Spain, I was fascinated by the clash between the idea of Catholic Spain and the other peoples, cultures and faiths who've lived here. The more I travelled around the country, and the more books I read, these others – particularly Moors and Jews – emerged as not just temporary alien visitors, but an enduring presence through the centuries. A plan formed, slowly, to visit Toledo, bringing these books along as guides, to see how this story of Spain might be written into the buildings of one of the country's most famously Catholic cities, a place described by Jan Morris as the “repository of all that is proudest, … [Read more...] about A literary trip through Toledo’s historical labyrinth
Athletic Bilbao’s golden generation stands at the crossroads
It’s a pivotal week for the future of Athletic Bilbao. On Thursday, July 7th, the club holds its presidential elections, with former Athletic midfielder Josu Urrutia challenging current president Fernando García Macua for control of the Basque club. Urrutia’s candidacy started with a bang when he announced that former Argentina and Chile boss Marcelo Bielsa would be manager should he win. Bielsa, who recently rejected the chance to take over at Inter Milan, is a managerial heavyweight. A deep football thinker, he is known for sending out tactically astute, but sometimes mentally brittle, teams. While his unbalanced Argentina flopped at the 2006 World Cup, Chile were one of the stand-outs … [Read more...] about Athletic Bilbao’s golden generation stands at the crossroads