ERC demands Sports Law reform be unblocked and questions Government over Catalan national teams | OneFootball

ERC has lodged a package of initiatives in Congress urging the unblocking of reform to Spain’s Sports Law, and asking the Government to clarify its stance on the international recognition of Catalan national teams and on pledges made on sport and national recognition. According to El Periódico Mediterráneo, the registrations were filed on Monday.

The party submitted a request to the Congress board to move forward its bill to amend the Sports Law so that playing for Spain is no longer treated as a duty, but solely as a right.

The plan would scrap sanctions for athletes who decline a Spain call-up. Current rules allow financial penalties and even suspension of a federation licence for refusing a summons.

ERC deputy Etna Estrems said sport is a tool for national expression and international projection. The push comes hours after Spain’s football team won the World Cup by beating Argentina in the final.

Estrems argued the state maintains a political blockade on recognising Catalan teams, adding that few things build a sense of belonging like a national side, where a people share colours and symbols and present themselves to the world in their own voice.

Alongside the bill, ERC tabled written questions asking whether preventing recognition of Catalan teams is compatible with Catalans’ right to represent themselves internationally with their own symbols, and whether the blockade rests on sporting criteria or political will to reserve international representation to the Spanish state.

ERC, led by Oriol Junqueras, also asked if the Government plans to change the Sports Law to guarantee athletes’ freedom of choice, and what steps have been taken to meet commitments on recognising Catalan teams internationally.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo