REAL Madrid’s dramatic Champions League exit at the hands of Bayern Munich sparked jubilation far beyond Germany, as pundits on Catalan public TV ignited controversy by celebrating the defeat.
After Bayern’s 94th minute winner, the commentators on TV3’s late-night sports programme Onze cheered ‘Gol’ and danced around the studio with a traffic cone.
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The scenes quickly drew outrage on social media, where fans criticised the tone of the coverage.
“There are Catalans who support Real Madrid, and they shouldn’t have to put up with their tax money being used for this,” one user wrote, while another added bluntly: “I don’t want my money being used for this.”
Others questioned whether such behaviour belonged on a public broadcaster, with one post reading: “This shouldn’t be allowed on public TV. Public broadcasts aren’t meant to be a party.”
As another user put it: “Those journalists are idiots. It’s not the same for fans in the stands as it is for the media. You won’t see that on Telemadrid when Barcelona loses.”
However, some viewers defended the pundits explaining that Catalans have to hear anti-Barcelona and anti-Cataluyna chants at ‘85 per cent of Spanish stadiums’.
Real Madrid and Barcelona FC’s ‘El Clasico’ rivalry has long-represented far more than a football game explaining the heated reactions on both sides.
Clashes between the two biggest teams in Spanish football have taken on a deeply political and symbolic meaning, with Barcelona FC often seen as a symbol of Catalan identity and regional pride, while Real Madrid is associated with the Spanish establishment.
The wild scenes came after Bayern Munich defeated Real Madrid 4-3 in a thriller at Bayern’s Allianz stadium.
Winning 6-4 on aggregate Bayern cut Real’s Champions League run short.
Their exit marks the first time the team has been eliminated in the quarter-finals since 2004.
The game itself was not without controversy with Real Madrid players surronding the referee after Real midfielder Eduardo Camavinga was sent off in the 86th minute.
Their reactions triggered another red card for winger Arda Guler.
Alvaro Arbeloa, Madrid manager, said his team was ‘really upset and really angry’ over Camavinga’s red card.
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