The all-night party in Bilbao capped a successful week for Spanish football which sees five la liga clubs competing for top honours in Europe with Barcelona and Real Madrid – the top two Champions League contenders – and Athletic Bilbao, Valencia and Atlético Madrid all through to the quarter finals in the Europa League. Despite being reigning World Cup and European Champions, it has been some time since la liga teams have proved so strong in European competition with the last few years dominated by Premier League sides. The early 2000s saw Spanish football leading the way, with Real Madrid’s seemingly unstoppable Galácticos at their peak winning the Champions League in 2000 and 2002 … [Read more...] about La Liga: Spanish success
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March 11
Another anniversary of the Madrid terrorist attacks of March 11, 2004, comes and goes and with it, another storm of acrimony that highlights, in the ugliest way possible, Spain’s divisions. It’s now eight years since bombs planted by Islamic radicals were detonated on trains in or near Madrid during the morning rush hour, killing 191 people and injuring nearly 2,000 more. Enough time, you would think, for society to digest and come to terms with the attack, if not the grief it caused. But as dozens of relatives of those killed gathered at Atocha train station on Sunday, to listen to a saxophonist play a moving recital to their loved ones and others pay verbal tributes, the mood was … [Read more...] about March 11
Energy debt burden looms large in Spain’s deficit reduction push
To say that the Rajoy government inherited a rough legacy is rather an understatement. The economy appears to be in even worse shape than the incoming Partido Popular government first thought and even as they chop away at public spending, confidence at home and abroad continues to slip. Less than three months in and Rajoy and his party were forced to restructure deficit reduction goals, much to the chagrin of austerity-minded allies in Brussels and Berlin. Unfortunately, the government’s campaign to rein in spending and reduce the deficit does not yet address one particularly large elephant in the room – namely, Spain’s beleaguered energy sector. Sure, we’ve seen the Rajoy government … [Read more...] about Energy debt burden looms large in Spain’s deficit reduction push
Education in Spain, an international alternative
According to every school I asked the response was… think again! If your child is young enough then it is likely that they will pick up Spanish quickly and integrate well into a Spanish school. However, if they are older or have special needs the outlook is much less favourable. But what if you are already here and your child hasn’t settled or you have a very compelling reason to move? International Schools are an established alternative to Spanish state education. Dotted across the country, they teach the UK national curriculum in English and enable young people to study ‘A’ levels which are still the main currency needed for entry to universities in the UK. Of course, they are … [Read more...] about Education in Spain, an international alternative
La Liga: Tamudo writes another page in Espanyol’s history book
RCD Espanyol idol Raúl Tamudo fought with two defenders for a long ball forward before firing a low shot into the back of the net at the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat. The home fans warmly applauded their hero, who was his side’s best player on the day, but there was no celebration from the man himself. The striker, who had provided so many goals in 14 years of service to his beloved Periquitos, had instead struck for Rayo Vallecano, who were on the receiving end of a 5-1 drubbing on Sunday. Captain of Espanyol for almost a decade and playing in more than 400 games for his boyhood club, Tamudo left there as its all-time top goalscorer. Rising through the youth ranks, he also helped the … [Read more...] about La Liga: Tamudo writes another page in Espanyol’s history book
Pepe Reina’s “racist” blunder: a question of black and white?
Liverpool FC recently found themselves embroiled in a racism controversy for the second time in the last few months. Their goalie, Spanish national squad player Pepe Reina, came under fire from British anti-racism group Operation Black Vote for starring in a TV ad which they deemed to be racially offensive. The advert - for insurance company Groupama – depicts Reina meeting with the “king” of an African tribe who decides to take the goalie for his “queen”, a joke on his surname. Following complaints lodged by OBV, the campaign was pulled from Spanish television. Unfortunately for Reina and Liverpool, the ad in question came right on the tail of huge controversy caused by their … [Read more...] about Pepe Reina’s “racist” blunder: a question of black and white?
Squatting wave pushes for improved Spanish housing policy
“If they throw us out, I don't know what we're going to do. Now we have nothing,” says Trini, who lives with her partner and son in a squatted building in central Madrid. The €500 she earns taking care of seniors is the only income her family has. Trini wants to buy or rent a house, but at a price that her family can afford. Trini is part of a massive squatting wave that is sweeping across Spain as a response to the failure of public housing policy. Once, squatting was seen as an act of defiance, done mainly by young people. Now it is more commonly done out of necessity, by families who feel they have no other option. Since 2007, there have been more than 350,000 evictions as a result … [Read more...] about Squatting wave pushes for improved Spanish housing policy
Red Lights: The sceptics are heroes in paranormal movie thriller
In the opening minutes of Red Lights, the new paranormal thriller by Spanish director Rodrigo Cortés, Dr Margaret Matheson (Sigourney Weaver) and Tom Buckley (Cillian Murphy) arrive at a house on a hill to investigate a reported ghost. Big, old and surrounded by skeletal trees - the place certainly looks haunted. But the thing is, it isn’t. The suspected poltergeist is just an unhappy little girl, slamming her wardrobe door to scare the bejesus out of mum and dad. Case closed. By day, Matheson and Buckley teach paranormal scepticism to psychology students and by night and on the weekends, they’re a hoax-fighting duo, exposing alleged hauntings and fraudulent psychics. But they meet their … [Read more...] about Red Lights: The sceptics are heroes in paranormal movie thriller
Starting up and settling in at school in Spain
No matter how much we prepare our children and ourselves, starting school is quite a traumatic experience. For the child it is the chance to be the big boy or girl, to meet new friends and learn numbers and letters. But it’s also the scary big building that keeps them separate from mummy and daddy for more hours than they can count. For mummy and daddy it’s the end of their reign over the child’s world. Now they must jostle with Miss and Pablo/Peter for attention. A whole new experience that they’re not part of. It’s even more worrying when it involves speaking in a different language and entering into a system with which you’re not familiar. You can’t rely on neighbours to let you know … [Read more...] about Starting up and settling in at school in Spain
Athletic Bilbao returns to big-time with Manchester United tie
Considering the global appetite for European and particularly English football, it is often difficult and potentially even dangerous to try and determine whether the behaviour of the fanatical supporter seated next to you at your local watering hole is driven by a genuine affection for the game or a lifestyle choice born out of social compulsion. However, occasionally there are games that by their very nature facilitate the making of that distinction. Games which are rendered significant not by the hyperbolic pre-match bluster of television or the immediate consequence of the result but by historical context, and a certain nostalgia-tinged sense of occasion. For Athletic Bilbao, the tie … [Read more...] about Athletic Bilbao returns to big-time with Manchester United tie