La LigaSpanish Football

Catalonian Football at an all-time low as Reus and Nàstic battle to stay in Segunda.

Football was introduced to Catalonia by British immigrant workers in the late 19th century and since then the autonomous community has often led the pack in regards to developing the game in Spain.

Catalonia organised both the first association and the first league in Spain, known as the Football Associació de Catalunya.
Since La Liga was formed in 1928, seven Catalan clubs have played in the top flight.

FC Barcelona the only Catalan side to avoid relegation, RCD Espanyol, CE Sabadell FC, CE Europa, Gimnàstic de Tarragona, UE Lleida and CD Condal who were dissolved in 1970 have all featured.

Whilst Girona who are currently 12th in the current La Liga campaign didn’t feature until the 2017/18 season.

There have been a lot of highs in Catalonian football, mainly coming in the form of FC Barcelona who have won 25 league titles.

Embed from Getty Images

And despite the threats of expulsion from the Spanish football system following the controversial Catalonian drive for independence in June 2018, Barca remain.

But away from the glory witnessed at Camp Nou, travel just 65.7 miles and you’ll find Catalan minnows CF Reus Deportiu currently fighting for not only their place in Segunda but for their existence as a football club.

Reus currently find themselves in 20th place and are at serious risk of relegation to Segunda B.

With a worryingly low 16 goals they have managed just five victories so far.

Alongside their struggles on the field, Reus have also been in somewhat of a financial meltdown.

In late December the squad publicly announced that they could terminate their contracts over unpaid wages.

LaLiga 1|2|3 were even forced to suspend their game against Las Palmas last Saturday due to the dire financial situation they found themselves in.

It is believed that in these desperate times the club even reached out to Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué who has spoken openly about his desires to buy a football club in the past.
Now though, it has been announced that the club’s major shareholder Joan Oliver has managed to save the club after agreeing a take-over by the American group US Real Estate Investment.

Embed from Getty Images

Despite the great news, if the club fail to stay in the second tier this season, there are fears that the new owners would lose interest in the project.

And Reus are not the only Catalan club in danger of relegation. Gimnàstic de Tarragona, commonly referred to as Nàstic are currently rock bottom of the Segunda table, five points from safety.

The lowest scorers in the league are in drastic need of a turnaround. A vital 1-0 win over fellow strugglers Córdoba earlier in the month gave them a lifeline, but have since failed to put a run together.

Córdoba themselves have been placed under a transfer embargo and have still not paid all of the squad their wages for November.

The club has tried to add to their sqaud with the likes of Abdelaziz Barrada arriving on loan from Antalyaspor.

But despite the new additions, Nàstic have missed the presence of tough-tackling centre back Raúl Albentosa who’s loan expired earlier this month.

Embed from Getty Images

They host Las Palmas this weekend at the Nou Estadi de Tarragona and José Antonio Gordillo must start putting a run together if they are to avoid dropping into Segunda B next season.

Worrying times at the other end of Catalonian football, one which hides in the shadows of Barcelona as the possibility of LaLiga 1|2|3 featuring no Catalan clubs next season grows.