Problem 1: Més que un club vs. El Clásico (Individual work) Following the
end of
Problem 1: Més que un club vs. El Clásico (Individual work)Following the end of the Spanish
Civil War in 1939, Franco’s military dictatorship suppressed Catalans from expressing their
nationalism and speaking their own language. The only public place where Catalans could
engage in such acts was when attending matches of FC Barcelona. As a result, FC Barcelona
became ‘more than a club’; it became a symbol of liberty and defiance against Franco’s
regime, used as a way of expressing cultural and linguistic identities and rejection of the
regime. This symbolic power is highlighted in FC Barcelona’s rivalry with Real Madrid, a
match referred to as El Clásico and representative of Catalonia versus Spain. Part of the two
clubs’ rivalry is their dichotomous external political identities; the conservative right-wing
Real Madrid versus the progressive, liberal, left-wing FC Barcelona.Although autonomy was
returned to Catalonia following Franco’s death, FC Barcelona have become less political and
more commercial, leveraging their status as ‘more than a club’ to grow their fan base.
However, in recent years the separatist feelings of Catalans have returned due to threats to
their autonomy from the Spanish Government and a perception that they are getting less
back from Spain than what they give. As a result, illegal independence referendums have
been held, pro-independence parties have gained a majority in the Catalonia Government,
and independence has been declared by the Catalonia Government. In an attempt to regain
control the Spanish Government sacked the Catalan President and his ministers, dissolved
the Catalan Parliament and called a snap regional election. Pro-independence parties again
achieved a majority, creating a crisis for not just Spain, but also FC Barcelona. The club has
not openly supported independence, rather it has supported democracy in the form of the
referendum. This approach is reflective of the conflict of retaining their image as ‘more than
a club’ in representing Catalonia and understanding the importance of remaining in La Liga
and retaining their rivalry with Real Madrid for their commercial success. The president of
La Liga has stated that FC Barcelona will be excluded from the league if Catalonia becomes
independent.You have approached FC Barcelona and La Liga to offer your conflict
management services. You have been invited to La Liga’s head office to briefly ‘pitch’ your
services to both FC Barcelona and La Liga.In your pitch, you should cover the
following:Define the conflict between FC Barcelona and La Liga from the perspectives of
both parties, framing your definitions within established sources and types of
conflict.Identify important underlying mutual interests between FC Barcelona and La

Liga.Propose communication techniques and skills to be used in resolving the
conflict.Propose a form of negotiation (e.g. distributive or integrative bargaining) to be used
in resolving the conflict.Identify factors (e.g. personalities) and barriers that will need to be
managed and resolved in resolving the conflict.