Copa del Rey
Javier Tebas said “it would be verbal violence to whistle the anthem
Madrid, Spain – La Liga president Javier Tebas believes that whistling the Spanish national anthem is just as bad as anti-Catalonia chants.
Barcelona and Sevilla will play the Copa del Rey fina on Saturday. The Wanda Metropolitano stadium will host the match between the two finalists. However, some believe La Liga and Federation should suspend the match if such chants begin to happen at the Wanda.
“Yes, it would be verbal violence to whistle the anthem,” said Tebas.
“If the chant ‘Puta Catalunya’ has been denounced in many stadiums across Spain, for me verbal violence is whistling the anthem.”
In recent weeks, Barcelona haven’t commented on the whistles that have occurred. However, Barcelona leaders typically respect the freedom of expression by their fans.
According to Tebas, whistling the hymn is not to be freedom of speech and he condemns it.
“Will they ask if ‘Puta Catalunya’ is freedom of expression?” he continued.
“I think it’s not freedom of speech.
“To insult is to disrespect millions of Spaniards and Catalans who have respect for the flag.”
In addition, when asked if whistling a player is the same, the president stated that it is a very different context.
“You have to consider the context and the environment,” he said.
“It is not the same as whistling a flag or head of state when whistling a player in a sporting context.”
