The Power Of The Word

There are profound differences in how the press operate in the Spanish capital and the Catalan one. While in Madrid they have suffered from soon three years of empty trophy rooms, where the uncertainty of the future project is well known in Barcelona there is a project which should be trusted and has given a league title, Spanish super cup and it is up to the Catalan team to loose the title, as well as being alive in the Champions league.

It is interesting to see how the press operates in both cities and the influence they have.

A few weeks ago Madrid were trashed in Zaragoza in the semi-finals of the cup (the only realistic target Madrid had) 6-1. As soon as the game ended there was a ghost who had reawaken the spirit of the team (The spirit of Juanito), Casillas was the first to mention it, but soon after the whole of Spain was dependent on the spirit of the former Madrid player Juanito. It is well probable the marketing director of Real Madrid, José Antionio Sánchez had lucidly inspired Casillas of the spirit, but the marketing was in process. The next day no one remembered the game, the headlines ran of Juanito's spirit and the resurrection with it.
It was almost like the whole Spanish nation (apart from the Catalans and the Basques) had been hypnotised. The poor Zaragoza players knew other forces had taken off their responsibility. If the spirit came back, there was little to do.
Something that would have been impossible in Catalunya, were scepticism and pessimism is deeply enrooted in the souls of the Catalans. The game was won
4-0, one goal away from getting into the finals. A result that had been impossible became almost possible.
In Catalunya the sneered at the Goebbels like propaganda that they had installed, but some also showed an admiration of the power of the press and believing in the miracle. Believing in a Spiritual Ghost.

The Catalans on the other hand are rarely at peace with each other; at the moment they care little of what the Madrileños think of them, as the team is showing a remarkable superiority on the pitch. However in the backlit rooms of the bars, on the terrazas and restaurants, reunions take place where discussions and criticism is made towards the directors. It is not that the directors are criticised for their mistakes (and they have made several of various degrees of seriousness) that is surprising, but the cynicism and the spikiness of it. It is almost at times that some partners of the famous entorno want the team too loose in order to throw the "regime" over. There are Laportistas and Rosellistas. And the Rosellistas want the president and his "friends and family" (in their opinion) out and have the Rosellistas in. The Rosellistas criticise Eto'o for almost everything and are quick to point out Rijkaard's mistakes with a glint on their face (both are supposedly Laporta's choices) while they defend Rosells signings (Ronaldinho and Deco for example). Rather than seeing the team as a fruit of that - teamwork - it is divided into particles depending on who's they are.
One could say that the press in Barcelona all have their agenda and perhaps one should come to the conclusion that the club will never be united with all its history and characters that form the club, while in Madrid the press is controlled by the club to all go in the same direction