Court orders withdrawal of advert for Catalan sports teams

MADRID, Oct 6 (Reuters) - A Barcelona court has ordered the provisional withdrawal of a television advertisement in support of separate Catalan sports teams because of its use of children.
The controversial advert, which is paid for by the Platform for Catalan Sports Teams, shows a boy wearing the red shirt of Spain refusing to allow another, who has donned the national colours of Catalonia, to join in a game of football.
The advert ends with the excluded child taking off his shirt and the words "a nation" superimposed on his chest and "a national team" above the fluttering shirt.
The court ruled that the advertising campaign could encourage discrimination between young people and that "it is necessary to be careful and sensitive in relation to such messages."
Catalan nationalists have demanded separate representation for the region in international sports competitions but Spain has resisted such calls.
Catalonia does have its own soccer team which usually plays at least one friendly against a national side each year but it does not have separate representation in international competition.
Catalonia will play a team representing the Basque region at Barcelona's Nou Camp stadium on Sunday.
Spanish daily El Pais reported that nationalist groups had asked fans to protest at the withdrawal of the advert by taking off their shirts when the players walk on to the pitch.

The Guardian

A judge ordered the suspension of a TV advertisement for a match involving the Catalonia regional team because it could encourage children to discriminate against each other. The commercial — promoting Sunday's game against the Basque region — began airing in Catalonia last week and showed children picking teams for a soccer game.One boy, dressed in a red jersey symbolizing the Spanish national team, refuses to let a boy wearing the Catalonian team's shirt play — unless he removes his jersey. The boy takes off his shirt and other children then remove theirs in solidarity. The slogan, "a country, a team," then flashes on screen". The Barcelona judge ordered the suspension Thursday. She said the case was urgent because the advertisement features and appeals to children. "The harm and prejudice that it could cause is evident," Maria Jose Mosene Garcia said. "It would be difficult to repair the effect it had on viewers." There will be a hearing Monday. A new left-leaning party called Ciutadans (Citizens) asked broadcasting regulators to cancel the commercial this week, but the request was refused. The party went to court and won the suspension. Catalonia is a wealthy and powerful region fiercely proud of its language and culture and most political parties supported a new charter granting the region new powers in June. Games between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid are sometimes seen as showdowns between Catalonia and the city symbolizing Spain's central government. Several of Spain's regions have their own teams, which draw professional players from topflight squads for games among themselves or in exhibitions. Catalonia has failed in an attempt to have its regional team compete in international tournaments as if it represented a country. In a press release, the Ciutadans party said it was satisfied with the judge's decision on the ad and criticized the broadcast regulators for "bowing to political pressure." The Catalan regional team asked Catalonians to show up at Sunday's game en masse to protest the judge's decision. A third group, calling itself Right to Decide, urged fans to endorse the commercial by removing their shirts when players enter the stadium.

Herald Tribune