Catalonia national football team - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Catalonia national football team

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Catalonia national football team is the official football team of the Spanish autonomous community of Catalonia. It is organised by the Catalonia Football Federation. The team has been referred to by various names including Selecci Catalana, Selecci de Barcelona and the Catalan XI. Catalonia is not affiliated to either FIFA or UEFA and is therefore not allowed to participate in either the FIFA World Cup or the European Championship because the spanish region of Catalonia is not a state. Obviously, Catalan players are full Spanish citizens who are eligible to play for Spain. However since 1904, the team has played nearly 200 games against various national, regional and club teams.[1] Since 1997 they have played international friendly games more regularly. Among the teams they have played are Nigeria, Brazil and Argentina. Their most recent friendly games were a 42 win over Argentina at Camp Nou in December 2009,[2] and a 40 win over Honduras in December 2010. On 3 November 2009, it was agreed that Johan Cruyff would become the coach of the side, taking the reins officially from 9 November 2009.[3]

Catalonia

Nickname(s) Association Confederation Head coach Captain Most caps Top scorer

La Selecci, La Segadora Federaci Catalana de Futbol None Johan Cruyff Vctor Valds Sergio Gonzlez (14) Mariano Martn (6)

Contents
1 History 1.1 First games 1.2 Copa Prncep d'Astries 1.3 Catalonia vs Brazil 1.4 The Franco era 1.5 Democratic era 1.6 Johan Cruyff's era 2 Selected Friendly Internationals 3 Current squad 4 Notable players 4.1 Guest players 5 Selected coaches 6 Honours 7 See also 8 Notes 9 External links
First colours Second colours

First international France 70 Catalonia (Paris, France; February 21, 1912) Biggest win Catalonia 50 Lithuania (Barcelona, Spain; 22 December 2000) Catalonia 50 Nigeria (Barcelona, Spain; 22 December 1998) Biggest defeat France 70 Catalonia (Paris, France; February 21, 1912) Spain 70 Catalonia

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History
First games

(Les Corts, Spain; March 13, 1924)

Catalonia national football team made their debut in 1904. Initially they played against various club teams such as Club Espanyol, Madrid CF, FC Barcelona and Irn Sporting Club. On February 2, 1912 they made their international friendly debut against France, losing 70 in Paris. On December 1, 1912 the two teams met again in Barcelona and this time the Catalans won 10. In 1914 the Catalan XI played the Euskadi XI for the first time, but there is no record of the result .[4] The first recorded game between the two teams took place on January 3, 1915 at San Mams Stadium. The Catalan XI lost 61.

Copa Prncep d'Astries

Between 1915 and 1926 the Catalan XI competed in an inter-regional competition. They finished as runners-up in 1915 and won the Copa Prncep d'Astries for the first time in 1916, beating a Castile XI 85 over two games. They then retained the trophy in 1917 after beating the Castile XI 20. During the 1920s a team featuring Josep Samitier, Paulino Alcntara, Sagibarba and Ricardo Zamora helped the Catalan XI win the competition in 1922, 1924 and 1926. The last competition in 1926 was a play-off between the two teams who had won the competition the most. The Catalans beat an Asturias XI 63 over two games. As well as playing other regional teams from throughout Spain and Europe, the 1920s also saw the Catalan XI play several internationals friendly matches. On March 13, 1924 at the Les Corts, the Catalan XI played Spain for the first time. The Spain XI included Josep Samitier and Ricardo Zamora, two of the best Catalan players of the era while the Catalan XI featured Paulino Alcntara and Sagibarba. Samiter scored twice as the Spain XI won 70. On December 13, 1925 Samitier, Zamora, Alcntara and Sagibarba were on the same side as the Catalan XI beat Czechoslovakia at the Sarria. After conceding a penalty and going down 10, Sagibarba then equalised with another penalty before Samitier clinched a 21 win. On July 7, 1926 the Catalan XI played Czechoslovakia in Prague. Despite Samitier putting the Catalans 10 ahead, they eventually lost 21.

Catalonia vs Brazil
During the 1930s Catalonia continued playing friendly games against an array of teams. However 1934 was a particularly good year. On February 2 they played Spain and lost 20 at Les Corts. However four months later they played Brazil twice. On June 17 the Catalan XI beat Brazil 21 at Les Corts and then on June 24 they held them to a 22 draw at the Vista Alegre in Girona. The Brazil team had been in Europe to play in the official 1934 FIFA World Cup and included the legendary Lenidas in their team. The Catalan XI completed a good month when on June 29 they beat the reigning official La Liga champions, Athletic Bilbao 51.

The Franco era

After the Spanish Civil War, the dictator Franco imposed several restrictions on Catalonia, abolishing the Generalitat de Catalunya and banning the official use of the Catalan language and the regional flag. However the Catalan XI continued to play regularly during this period and even played Spain twice. On October 19, 1947 at the Sarri, with a team featuring Velasco, Mari Gonzalvo, Joan Segarra and Csar, they beat Spain 31. However on August 9, 1953 Spain avenged this defeat with a 60 win. During this era several notable FC Barcelona players, including the spanish players like Laszlo Kubala, Luis Surez, Evaristo and later, Jess Mara Pereda, all guested for the Catalan XI. On January 26, 1955 in a friendly game against Bologna at Les Corts, Kubala was also joined by another guest player, Alfredo Di Stfano. The
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Catalan XI won 62 with two goals from Kubala and one from Di Stfano. On September 1, 1956 Di Stfano returned to Les Corts with Real Madrid, recent winners of the first official European Cup, and played a Selecci de Barcelona. Real won the game 73. The Catalan XI marked the end of the Franco era with a friendly game against the USSR at the Camp Nou on June 6, 1976. The team included Carles Rexach and guest holland players Johan Cruyff and Johan Neeskens. The game finished 11 with Neeskens scoring for the Catalan XI. Cruyff's son, Jordi, would subsequently play regularly for the Catalan XI.

Democratic era
Since the restoration of democracy in the 1970s, the Catalonia national team has regularly played international friendly matches. They subsequently put together a string of successful results against great economic countries like Bulgaria, Nigeria, Yugoslavia, Lithuania and Chile. On May 5, 2002 Catalonia hosted Brazil in a warm up friendly game before the official 2002 FIFA World Cup. Brazil, who went on to win the official competition, beat Catalonia 31. In 2004 Brazil returned for a second friendly game and this time won 52 in the Camp Nou, where some months later Argentina defeated Catalonia 30. The last friendly matches have been against great economic countries like Paraguay, Costa Rica, Basque Country, Argentina and Colombia.

Johan Cruyff's era

Catalonia vs Basque Country team playing in Camp Nou

On 2 November 2009, it was announced that Dutch legend and former Barcelona manager Johan Cruyff will be the new coach of Catalonia.[3] On 22 December 2009, they played a friendly against Argentina, which ended in a Catalonia win, 42 at Camp Nou. On 28 December 2010, Catalonia played another friendly against Honduras winning 40 at Estadi Olmpic Llus Companys.[5] In their latest game on 30 December 2011, Catalonia drew with Tunisia at Llus Companys Stadium.[6]

Selected Friendly Internationals

Date Venue Home Team Catalonia Catalonia Catalonia Catalonia Catalonia Visitor Tunisia Honduras Argentina Colombia Argentina Score 00 40 42 21 01 Dec. 30 2011 Olmpic Llus Companys Dec. 28 2010 Olmpic Llus Companys Dec. 22 2009 Camp Nou Dec. 28 2008 Camp Nou May 24 2008 Camp Nou

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Dec. 29 2007 San Mams Oct. 8 2006 Camp Nou May 24 2006 Olmpic de Terrassa Dec. 28 2005 Camp Nou Dec. 29 2004 Camp Nou May 25 2004 Camp Nou Dec. 28 2003 Camp Nou Dec. 28 2002 Camp Nou May 18 2002 Camp Nou Dec. 28 2001 Camp Nou Dec. 22 2000 Camp Nou Dec. 23 1999 Olmpic Llus Companys Dec. 22 1998 Montjuc Dec. 23 1997 Montjuc June 6 1976 Camp Nou Feb. 21 1971 San Mams Aug. 9 1953 Unknown Oct. 19 1947 Sarri June 24 1934 Girona June 17 1934 Les Corts Feb. 2 1934 Jan. 1 1931 June 8 1930 July 7 1926 Les Corts San Mams Montjuc Prague

Basque Country Catalonia Catalonia Catalonia Catalonia Catalonia Catalonia Catalonia Catalonia Catalonia Catalonia Catalonia Catalonia Catalonia Catalonia Basque Country Catalonia Catalonia Catalonia Catalonia Catalonia Basque Country Catalonia Czechoslovakia Catalonia Catalonia Catalonia Catalonia Basque Country Catalonia Catalonia Catalonia Catalonia Basque Country Catalonia Catalonia

Catalonia Costa Rica Paraguay Argentina Brazil Ecuador China PR Brazil Chile Lithuania Yugoslavia Nigeria Bulgaria Soviet Union Catalonia Spain Spain Brazil Brazil Spain Catalonia Catalonia Spain Provence Provence Catalonia

11 20 11 03 25 40 20 13 10 50 10 50 11 11 12 06 31 22 21 02 32 21 07 10 40 50

Basque Country 22

Basque Country 01 Czechoslovakia 21

Dec. 13 1925 Sarri Mar. 13 1924 Les Corts Apr. 4 1921 Apr. 3 1921 June 4 1916 Catalonia Catalonia San Mams

May 22 1916 Camp de la Indstria May 21 1916 Camp de la Indstria May 15 1915 Unknown Feb. 7 1915 Jan. 3 1915 1914 Camp de la Indstria San Mams Unknown

Basque Country 00 Basque Country 13 Basque Country 01 Basque Country 22 Catalonia France 61 10 Basque Country XX

Dec. 1 1912 Barcelona

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Feb. 20 1912 Paris

France

Catalonia

70

Current squad
The following players have been called up for the match against Tunisia in 2011. # Pos. 1 5 3 4 2 Player Date of birth (age) 14 January 1982 2 January 1986 12 April 1978 2 February 1987 14 November 1989 14 April 1991 21 March 1992 9 June 1989 22 September 1987 12 January 1992 27 March 1992 25 January 1980 5 May 1983 16 July 1988 4 May 1987 21 August 1992 30 October 1980 9 June 1983 5 January 1983 28 August 1990 27 April 1991 27 April 1991 Caps 12 2 5 5 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 9 8 4 2 1 1 9 8 5 2 1 Goals 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 5 1 5 0 0 Club Barcelona Espanyol Barcelona Barcelona Barcelona Barcelona Espanyol Espanyol Espanyol Barcelona Barcelona Barcelona Espanyol Barcelona Barcelona Barcelona Sabadell Espanyol Girona Roma Espanyol Barcelona

GK Vctor Valds DF Carles Puyol DF Gerard Piqu DF Andreu Fonts DF Martn Montoya

13 GK Kiko Casilla

15 DF Jordi Amat 22 DF Ddac Vil 19 DF Ral Rodrguez 21 DF Sergio Juste 20 DF Marc Muniesa 6 8 MF Xavi Hernndez MF Joan Verd

16 MF Sergio Busquets 10 MF Cesc Fbregas 18 MF Sergi Roberto 14 MF Albert Puigdollers 9 FW Sergio Garca 17 FW Ferran Corominas 11 FW Bojan Krki 7 FW lvaro Vzquez 23 FW Isaac Cuenca

Notable players
Guest players
Because Catalonia is not a member of either UEFA or FIFA due it's a region of Spain, obvious eligibility rules based on birthplace do not apply. As a result of unofficial friendly team, a number of players who were not born in Catalonia have guested for the Catalan XI. With the notable exception of Di Stfano, most were playing for Barcelona at the time. Notice that some players, as Andrs Iniesta or Jordi Cruyff had lived most of their lives (and childhood) in Catalonia. Some others, as Sagibarba or Paul Alcntara had Catalan ancestors (for example, Alcntara was the son of a Catalan military officer in the Spanish Philippines, and moved to Barcelona with the

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independence of the islands as a child). These considerations that highlight the birth or relationships or residence may be confused with racial segregation or other times painful dictatorships, but these are minimum considerations of an unofficial regional football team. Alejandro Morera Soto Alfredo Di Stfano Andrs Iniesta Csar Rodrguez Sagibarba Enrique Fernndez Evaristo de Macedo Francisco Bru Hristo Stoitchkov Jess Mara Pereda

Joan Josep Nogus Johan Cruyff Johan Neeskens Jordi Cruyff Pepe Reina Juan Velasco Lszl Kubala Luis Surez Paulino Alcntara

Selected coaches
Pichi Alonso, 19952005 Pere Gratacs, 20052009 Johan Cruyff, 2009

Honours
Copa Prncep d'Astries Winners 1916. 1917, 1922, 1924, 1926: 5 Runners-Up 1915: 1

See also
Football in Spain Spanish football league system Football records in Spain

Notes
1. ^ esportcatala.com (http://www.esportcatala.com /news.sdf/news?id=85470&ref=6) 2. ^ "42: Catalunya suma un triunfo de prestigio frente a Argentina" (http://www.mundodeportivo.com /gen/20091222/53850860140/noticia/4-2-catalunyasuma-un-triunfo-de-prestigio-frente-a-argentina.html) (in spanish). El Mundo Deportivo. 22 December 2009. http://www.mundodeportivo.com /gen/20091222/53850860140/noticia/4-2-catalunyasuma-un-triunfo-de-prestigio-frente-a-argentina.html. 3. ^ a b "Cruyff will coach Catalonia team" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe /8338289.stm) . BBC News. 2 November 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe /8338289.stm. 4. ^ fcbarcelona.com (http://www.fcbarcelona.com /eng/noticias/noticias/n06100306.shtml) 5. ^ "Catalonia defeats Honduras" (http://www.laprensa.hn/Deportes/Ediciones/2010/12 /28/Noticias/Cataluna-le-paso-por-encimaa-Honduras) . La Prensa.hn (Honduran national newspaper). 29/12/2010. 6. ^ "Catalonia draws with Tunisia" (http://www.elperiodico.com/es/noticias/deportes

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/catalunya-empata-con-tunez-ante-mas-36000espectadores-1296261.htm) . El Peridico de

Catalunya (Catalionian newspaper) 31/12/2011.

External links
Catalonia Football Federation (http://www.fcf.cat) Results at rsssf.com (http://www.rsssf.com/tablesc/cata-intres.html) Detailed results at www.futcat.org/html (http://www.futcat.org/html/futbol_catala /SELECCIO_CATALANA/partits.htm) List of games at www.esportcatala.cat (http://www.esportcatala.cat/cms2/) Copa Prncep d'Astries (http://www.futcat.org/html/futbol_catala/COMPETICIONS_ESPANYOLES /altres_compet/princep.htm) Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Catalonia_national_football_team& oldid=502511240" Categories: Football in Catalonia European national and official selection-teams not affiliated to FIFA Regional sports teams of Catalonia Spanish autonomous football teams This page was last modified on 15 July 2012 at 22:21. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. See Terms of use for details. Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.

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