Real Madrid are losing the cross from their logo (within the UAE) - the ultimate sacrifice, you might say... http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...ase-gulf-sponsors/?postshare=7611417199301316
At least they've never had Cash Converters as sponsors. Even the Lord Jesus would admit that losing your religion( devout Catholic religion at that) is better than being sponsored by Cash Converters. FACT.
In fact Carmine, you've just reminded me of an event I witnessed the other day. I had the misfortune of having to visit Coalville, for anyone who's ever been there I need say no more. It's like little Glasgow. Anyway, as I was stood outside the shop my lass had to go to, which is next door to whatever pawn shop they have in that dump, a pair of grime covered chavs burst out of the pawn shop door, wearing their dull gray Nike track suits and cradling a little Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppy. After a little eavesdropping it became apparent they'd been kicked out of said pawn shop because they'd kicked off after the staff have told them that they couldn't pawn their puppy. To say they weren't happy about this was an understatement. Then they just strolled around the town centre, yelling "who wants to buy a puppy?" At the tops of their lungs in their almost uninterpretable chav tongue. The end.
If people knew what sort of values Real Madrid really stands for, what those people did to Spain under the brutal Franco regime! pro-Fascist, Nationalist, Monarchist, traditional Catholic, Land owning class. Whilst on the Republican side, Barcelona was controlled initially by the Anarchists & Communists, later the watered down Popular Front. Under the Anarchists - equality, freedom for women, rejection of centralised leadership. Barcelona was at the hub of the political struggle. I recommend George Orwell's "Homage to Catalunia", he fought with the POUM militia on the Republican side. The other great political/geographically poignant club is Athletic Bilbao, a club which even refused to call itself 'Atlético' as that was Spanish and not Basque.
Pre WW2 my wife's father trained as a pilot in the RAF near Chester. One of his training mates took a fighter plane from the base and flew over to join the Spanish Civil War. He went to join Franco's side.
It was such a hugely important event, but sadly ignored by many due to WW2. Here you had an arena wher you were anti-Communist or anti-Fascist. Many joined the International Brigade from overseas on both sides. The democratic powers of the time (England & France) didn't want to get involved as they daren't upset Hitler or Stalin so Spain was left to settle the mess in its own bull ring.
Amongst the other errors in there Athletic is not Basque. It was called that because it was formed by English people. Later the same people set up Athletic Madrid which later did altered it's name, as did Athletic Bilbao to Atletico in 1941 when Franco banned non Spanish names. Bilbao altered it back after Franco's death, Madrid didn't. Both Bilbao and Atletico Madrid played in red and white shirts with blue shorts originally, which suggests they based their kits on Southampton who played in a red and white striped shirt and blue shorts at that time and Southampton shipyard workers were amongst those responsible for Athletic Club set up. The Franco regime may have been brutal but not as brutal as the communist ones. Also, if you didn't like things you were free to leave Spain, something you couldn't under communist regimes. My first boss was Spanish. He had actually played in goal for one of their junior teams and was a Real fanatic but left in the late 1950s as he didn't approve of Franco. Associating Real with Franco, who never showed any interest in football is wrong. He certainly allowed Real to bend the rules regarding foreign signings and transfer of currency which is where the antipathy Barcelona feel originated, specifically as concerned the transfer of Di Stefano who was on his way to Barcelona and suddenly ended up at Real Madrid, and not politics. Of course politics came into it as the Catalonian language was banned and the one place people could use it was at Barca games.
