The legacy of Francoism in Balearic football: why are club names kept in Spanish?

PalmMurense, Ferriolense, Poblense, Margaritense, Serverense... even RCD Mallorca and Atlético Baleares. There are countless football teams in the Balearic Islands whose names are in Spanish and which have not been standardized. This legacy of Francoism is still alive today, and the possibility of breaking with the memories of the dictatorship (during which Catalan was completely forbiddenThe effort to recover the essence of teams from municipalities with Catalan-speaking and historical roots is practically nonexistent.

The creation of the vast majority of these clubs took place during the Franco era or a few years before, a time of heightened Spanish nationalism. In those years, the use of Catalan was completely prohibited, and it was illegal to use any language other than Castilian Spanish in the club's name. In fact, many clubs, when they were created, were legally obligated to add thewithout to the name of their town to give it that Castilianized sound and erase any trace of Catalan from its name. The veteran Balearic sports journalist, Ricard Pla, asserts that in those years "they prohibited everything that was in Catalan; the few who dared to try to report in Catalan or with Catalan names were censored and not allowed. Currently, we live with the legacy of these impositions and prohibitions."

The real problem and controversy surrounding this case arose after Franco's death, during the Transition. At a time of linguistic normalization, the names of football teams were not standardized due to the resistance of club directors, fans, and society as a whole. In fact, the Balearic Islands news program on Spanish Television (TVE) even tried. Ricard Pla recalls that they began using "Poblera" instead of "Poblense" in their reports and posters, but "people didn't want it." Furthermore, Pla asserts that when they started using the Catalan names of these football teams, "they received pressure from the clubs themselves, fans, and others." "Their message was clear: we don't care if it's wrong or in Spanish, it's always been this way and it won't change," he emphasizes. For his part, journalist Joan Fortesa points out that at that time, "society didn't accept it, neither the clubs nor the fans. Nobody ever accepted it." name change"

Both commentators agree that it's a problem that goes beyond football, that the world of sports is a clear example of society's resistance to full linguistic normalization. "They've never wanted normalization to exist; they excuse themselves with traditions, popular culture, or history, but there's never really been any intention of taking any steps toward normalization," laments Fortesa. Pla goes further, asserting that it's not just the names of the clubs, but that normalization hasn't reached football vocabulary either. "The broadcasts are full of barbarisms or literal translations into Catalan." Both agree that Spanish is so deeply ingrained in the world of football that when they use team names or expressions in Catalan, "they laugh at you or tell you you're a linguistic extremist." This legacy of Francoism, which is still alive in the world of football, isn't just in the Balearic Islands; it's present in all Catalan-speaking territories. Examples of this are Eldense or Levante, among many others, which maintain their Spanish names. Francoism He forced them to have.

However, both journalists emphasize that the key to understanding why this Francoist legacy has survived is that "at the time, it wasn't normalized, and now, after so many years, it's impossible."

Why haven't the names of football teams been normalized?

Clubs and their fans, both now and during the Transition period, excuse themselves by saying that changing the name would mean losing their essence and history, as well as "betraying" their team. Gabriel Bibiloni, PhD in Romance and Catalan Philology, explains that this is an "excuse" and, moreover, is based on a lie. "The names of football teams, or anything else for that matter, have an identity value; they define the culture and history of the place, and a name with Castilian Spanish imposed by Francoism or Spanish nationalism does not represent the history of these municipalities, which, to begin with, were Catalan-speaking places with Catalan culture and history," he argues. Philologist Eloi Bellés goes further, asserting that the only way to guarantee linguistic normalization in football team names is through legal obligation, just as was done with the names of municipalities in the Balearic Islands. "Place names were changed by law, which already generated controversy, but people had no choice but to accept them. In the case of clubs, since there was no regulation to protect it, it wasn't done, and when they tried to do it, people turned against it," he recalls.

Bellés asserts that current football fans and executives no longer link the name to Spanish or Catalan, "but rather associate the name's deep roots and connection with a sense of belonging." Therefore, Bellés maintains that the main problem is that "club names were established before language normalization arrived." Bibiloni, for his part, asserts that the reason this linguistic normalization of football team names hasn't been implemented is primarily due to two factors: "people's resistance to change and the lack of interest in protecting the Catalan language." "Sport is yet another example of society. This legacy of Francoism isn't only present in football clubs; it also persists in Holy Week brotherhoods, for example, which have names in Spanish, even though we know the saints in Catalan. The bottom line is that people have little interest in linguistic normalization," concludes the PhD in Romance Philology.