Aguirre´s unfortunate intervention

Much as I admire the Madrid regional government´s president Espereranza Aguirre as a person, I cannot agree with her politically when it comes to football.

It is I think unfortunate of her to suggest that Friday´s King´s Cup on Friday should be played behind closed doors if Athletic Bilbao and FC Barcelona fans whistle  the Spanish national anthem.

By so doing, she has stirred a hornest´s nest of enduring resentments, and fuelled antagonisms which only radical minorities stand to gain from.

To Barca supporters Aguirre´s politics brings echoes of the regime of General Primo de Rivera who during the 1920´s closed the FC Barcelona stadium for six months and imposed a heavy fine on the club  after some fans whistled the national anthem.

Football is better without politics  intervening. Aguirre has simply contributed to politicising Friday´s match even more, while threatening to undermine the national concensus that Vicente Del Bosque has so intelligently put together in the national team La Roja and those who support it.