August 28, 2026
By Enitan Abdultawab
Barcelona shelved plans to honour the club’s eight Spain internationals who helped the country win the World Cup, following a dispute over the treatment of a fan carrying a Catalan pro-independence flag.
The tribute was initially scheduled for Barcelona’s first La Liga home game of the season against Athletic Bilbao.
However, the club decided against the ceremony after a Barcelona supporter had his estelada, a flag associated with Catalonia’s independence movement, confiscated by police before the team’s away fixture against Elche.
