On August 23, Martínez Valero Stadium in Elche hosted the match of the second round of the Spanish League between Elche and Barcelona. The final result was 0-5 in favor of the visitors, but what really generated public debate was an incident that occurred before the start of the match.
National Police agents intervened against a young man carrying an estelada, the Catalan independence flag. The young man resisted the police intervention and was eventually immobilized using physical force.
The police action deeply divided public opinion. For some sectors, the force used was excessive, while others considered that the intervention was justified and necessary to enforce the law.
This division of opinions reflects the tension existing in Spanish society around the Catalan independence question, a phenomenon that, according to the article, continues to be present even in the sporting context.
