National coach dreams of Spanish unity

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque believes a World Cup triumph can strike a blow for national unity, a day after a million people marched in support of the Catalan region’s statute of autonomy.

Spain face Holland in Sunday’s World Cup final with the European champions hoping to clinch a first world title.

Success in South Africa has already led to Spanish flags being flown with pride in traditional Catalan and Basque areas.

“There are players from all over Spain here in the squad, we are united and I hope the same feeling of unity occurs back in Spain,” said del Bosque.

“I think sport does many good things and I hope football could lead to better relations in our country.”

Barcelona’s famous club supplied seven of the starting line-up on Wednesday when Spain defeated Germany in the semi-finals with the figure likely to be duplicated on Sunday at Soccer City.

However, on Saturday, more than a million people demonstrated in northeastern Spain in support of the Catalan region’s statute of autonomy, after it was challenged by a constitutional court.

The statute, which was earlier approved by the Spanish parliament and endorsed by Catalan voters in a 2006 referendum, gave the regional parliament enhanced powers in taxation and judicial matters as well as more control over airports, ports and immigration.

A vast column of protesters was preceded by a huge Catalan flag with the slogan “we are a nation, we decide ourselves” while thousands of red and yellow-striped Catalan banners were visible among the huge crowd.

“This demonstration is the start of independence that we want for our country (Catalonia)” one student told AFP.

The protest was staged hours after the confirmation by Spain’s Constitutional Court of the June 28 ruling which removed important parts of the new statute of autonomy.