Barcelona supports Catalonia's push for independenceOctober 11, 2014 - 23:15 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - FC Barcelona still supports Catalonia's push to vote on secession from the rest of Spain despite warnings that independence would mean the club's exclusion from the Spanish league. Barcelona ''was one of the first institutions to declare it was in favor of the right to decide,'' it said in a statement on Friday, Oct 10, according to FoxSports. Catalonia's regional government wants to hold a nonbinding referendum on independence on Nov. 9. A Spanish court has suspended the vote to rule on its legality. On Tuesday, the president of the Spanish football league, Javier Tebas, said Barcelona and the other football teams in the northeastern region would be excluded from Spanish competitions if Catalonia became a separate state. Tebas said the country's sports law entitles only one non-Spanish territory - Andorra - to legally participate in the league or other official competitions. If Catalonia were to gain independence, the law would have to be altered to let Catalan clubs, including Espanyol and second-division teams Girona and Sabadell, back in. Secessionist sentiment has surged in Catalonia in recent years during Spain's economic stagnation, and Barcelona's Camp Nou has become a focal point of the movement with pro-independence cheers a common feature during matches. Barcelona defender Gerard Pique recently attended a massive rally in Barcelona clamoring for the Nov. 9 vote, and former coach Josep Guardiola is an independence supporter. Polls show that while most of the 7.5 million residents of Catalonia support the vote, only around half favor ending centuries-old ties with the rest of Spain. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | About 32,000 rally in Yerevan to deman Pashinyan’s resignation About 31,700 people attended an opposition rally on Thursday, May 9 in Yerevan demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Armenian, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister to meet in Almaty Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov will meet in Almaty. Viva-MTS: Tech solutions to modernize infrastructure of border village The border village has been the focus of Viva-MTS and the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Values since 2015. Ucom's fixed network launched in Artashat To mark this occasion, the company has introduced a special offer exclusively for Artashat residents. |