If things go the way the people of Catalonia are asking for, then the football world may just have seen the last of “El-Clasico” in its current format. The only possibility of watching anything close to it will be in an international format, most likely in the European Champions’ League Competition.

If the way the referendum held yesterday in Catalonia and the reaction of the Spanish Authorities to it is anything to go by, then the situation is not looking too promising. One would have thought that the aftermath of the referendum would have been somewhat more civil than what actually took place, with hundreds injured in an event that took place in the heart of Europe.

Spanish police officers in riot gear were seen using rubber bullets and truncheons against an otherwise peaceful crowd in their attempts to shut down polling stations and seize ballot boxes. It was quite a show of shame that reminds one of situations more likely to happen in third world countries.

The attacks by the police of course destroyed what had been planned as a festival of some sort for the expectant voters, many of whom had camped inside polling stations and stayed late into Sunday night, so as to prevent the possibility of officers seizing ballot boxes.

Their fears turned into an unwelcome reality as the policemen attacked them injuring hundreds, forcefully closing polling stations and seizing ballot boxes in the melee that eventually ensued.

In a show of defiance, voting went ahead in many towns and cities, with men and women, young and old, singing and chanting as they lined up for hours to cast their ballots.

At the end of it all, the Spanish Government declared the referendum null and void while their Catalonian counterparts declared the referendum a clear success, claiming that some 90 percent of the eligible voters had turned up and cast their votes at the referendum.

Whatever happens between these two forces at the end of the day, what really concerns the football fans across the world can be aptly coined into a simple question. “Are we still going to be able to watch El-Clasico” in its present format in the near future”?

If things get real bad, then that question might just become “Are we ever going to witness another ‘El-Clasico’ again”?

Hmmnn, that is surely a grim thing to imagine!

http://uneekomunikations.com/wp/uneekomunikations-catalona-vote-have-we-seen-the-last-of-el-clasico/