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FC
Barcelona
 FC Barcelona (or Barça as it is
commonly known) was founded in 1899 by Joan Gamper, a Swiss footballer
and football pioneer who led the club with together with a group of
English, Spanish and Swiss men. It is ironic then, that a group of
mainly foreigners created an institution that became a symbol of local
Catalan pride, having the motto "Més que un club" (More than a club).
It is definitely worth attending a game, and for most league games
there will be tickets available.The
Camp Nou
 In English normally referred to as
the Nou Camp, the
Camp Nou is the largest stadium in Europe with a capacity of
98,787 and
the 11th largest in the world. It was originally built in 1957 but the
capacity was later extended by digging down into the ground to add
another tier.
Rivalry
with Real Madrid
 Perhaps
the biggest rivalry in world
football, twice a year these giants play each other in the domestic
league. Dubbed "el classico" this fixture is watched by millions
worldwide. There is a fierce football and political rivalry between the
two teams as can be seen from the photo here, taken in 2002. Through
the smoke of the flare a banner with the words "Catalonia is not Spain"
can clearly be seen. The game ended 1-1.
Club
Success
In
the 2008/2009 season FC Barcelona won the treble (La Liga,
Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League) - a feat never achieved
before in Spain's history. The same year they then added the Spanish
Super Cup, European Super Cup and finally the World Club Championship,
completing a clean sweep of all 6 trophies on offer. This has never
been achieved by any club in Europe in the history of the game. They
are only one of three clubs to never
have been relegated from La Liga and having won nineteen La Liga
titles, a record twenty-five Spanish Cups, seven Spanish Super Cups and
two League Cups they are domestically the most successful club in La
Liga history.
More
Information
 FC Barcelona have an official
website where you can find ticket sales, fixture lists, tours round the
stadium and other information. Use the address below for the English
version.
http://www.fcbarcelona.cat/web/english/index.html
If
you want to know more about the
history of the club, the following book by Jimmy Burns is well worth a
read. It contains a fascinating historical account of how the
club was
founded and survived through the Spanish Civil War and the Franco
regime. It is also a great read for football fans who remember some of
the famous characters who played for the club.
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