Ten days ago we wrote here a very striking headline: “Collboni, put the grass”, which was the unanimous cry of the Sant Andreu fans, who had just been promoted. Well, may today's article serve as a “Reply!”: Barcelona City Council will put natural grass on the Narcís Sala and the Nou Sardenya, which is the stadium where Europa plays.
What seemed like insurmountable obstacles (technical, administrative, legal, sporting, city project, for clubs in lower categories...) have been overcome. Probably, the fact of being able to satisfy both clubs at the same time, without room for comparative grievances between rivals, must have helped to untangle the problem from politics. And with the municipal elections a year away, there was no sense in making unforced errors, in which the opposition was beginning to capitalize. Thus, even though, as we have seen, the discussion could have ended sooner, all's well that ends well.
That natural grass is more expensive to maintain and excludes the children's and youth teams from training at home is a fact. But if the clubs have no choice but to obey the federation's regulations, one had to ask whether the social meaning of the measure justified the expense. And the reality is that for years we have been witnessing a revival of the identity of two districts where there are still people who say “I'm going to Barcelona”. And it is known that football identity is noisy and contagious, that it attracts young people and newcomers. Through the door of Sant Andreu and Europa (they are not the only clubs, nor is sport the only vehicle, but right now they are two very powerful instruments), Barcelona has reminded itself that it has a deep and authentic personality, and that it is much more than a global capital.
