SHANE MCLEOD: Spain's victory this morning in the final of the World Cup is putting focus on political divisions within the nation. Ahead of the final, the team's coach had said he hoped a triumph would strike a blow for national unity. That was after more than a million people had marched in support of the Catalan region's statute of autonomy, which has been challenged by a constitutional court.
The members of the Spanish team will arrive in Madrid later tonight where they will be honoured with an open-top bus parade through the streets of the capital. But how will they be received in the rest of the country?
Alison Caldwell reports.
(Spanish fans singing)
ALISON CALDWELL: Judging from the footage shot in Madrid this morning, Spaniards are united behind their national team following its historic World Cup win in Johannesburg.
Known as the Red Fury, the Spanish team will meet King Juan Carlos of Spain in Madrid overnight then join thousands of fans for a victory party. But judging from the footage shot in Barcelona over the weekend, Spain the country, it seems, is far from united.
Over a million people demonstrated in support of Catalonia's statute of autonomy. The statute is being reviewed and many Catalonians believe they're missing out.
Dr Kathryn Crameri is associate professor of Spanish Studies at the University of Sydney.
KATHRYN CRAMERI: People have got rather fed up with the way that Spain denies the Catalan certain things that they feel are their right. And so for many people the protest was actually about saying no, it's time to put an end to this and for Catalonia to actually be independent.
ALISON CALDWELL: Is there one national Spanish identity as such?
KATHRYN CRAMERI: Not really. I mean Spain's interesting within Europe because it kept its distinctive regional identities for a very long time after Spain became a nation state.
So for many centuries these areas had their own institutions, their own historic rights and it wasn't until the 19th century that really those were eradicated entirely. I think the Basques were the last to lose theirs in the 19th century so people have always had this sense of Spain as being a very diverse place.
ALISON CALDWELL: Spain is made up 14 autonomous communities, including the Basque Country, Catalonia, Andalusia and Valencia. Eight players from the Red Fury come from Barcelona FC, including goal scorer, Andres Iniesta.
In July 2008 Spain rose to the top of the FIFA (International Federation of Football Associations) world rankings for the first time, but even so, since then separate autonomous communities have been calling for their own football teams.
Dr Crameri again.
KATHRYN CRAMERI: For some people the fact that so many players in the Spanish team were from Barcelona just reinforces the sense that actually Catalonia should have its own football team.
So, for example, they look at Britain and they see the fact that there's an English team, a Scottish team et cetera and they think, well why can't Spain be the same? Why can't there be a Catalan team and a Basque team and so on?
ALISON CALDWELL: Do you think sport can play a part in unifying Spain?
KATHRYN CRAMERI: I think it can do. I think it can certainly give people a sense of what they've got in common. But as I said there can be two very different reactions. There can be that reaction to say yes, we're all in this together and isn't it great. And there can be the other reaction which says, well no, this isn't actually my team and I don't really support them.
And it's interesting, I've been looking today at the Catalan newspapers online and one of them called, Avui, is actually running an online vote which is asking about this very question. You know, do you think that the Spanish win is a good thing for Catalonia or not?
At the moment most respondents are saying they don't think it's a good thing because it just makes Spanish nationalism more exaggerated. So 40 per cent are saying that the win will just make Spaniards more nationalistic and that's a bad thing.
ALISON CALDWELL: Scottish born Ernie Merrick is the coach of the A League's Melbourne Victory football club. A few years he took a junior team over to train at The Institute of Sport in Barcelona.
ERNEST MERRICK: And I was quite surprised how they really feel that Catalonia is different. And the Royal, the "R" Real Madrid is different again and no player should go from one team to the other.
ALISON CALDWELL: Like the Spanish coach, Ernie Merrick is hopeful the World Cup win will help unite Spain.
ERNEST MERRICK: Yes, I certainly think it could. Sport is just a great medium for bringing people together and soccer, being the world game, there's probably no better team sport or competition to play in that the biggest event in the world. I mean it's five or six times larger than the Olympics, the World Cup. So to have success in such a prestigious tournament surely would galvanise the country together.
(Spanish fans singing)
SHANE MCLEOD: That was Melbourne Victory coach, Ernie Merrick, ending Alison Caldwell's report.
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