Fan of the Day: 'And now I will have to endure my father'

By Andres Burgo Jun 28, 2006, 23:24 GMT

A Spanish supporter is dejected after the 1-3 loss of the 2nd round match of the 2006 FIFA World Cup between Spain and France in Hanover, on Tuesday, 27 June 2006. EPA/KAY NIETFELD

Hanover - 'My name is Jordi, I was born 22 years ago in Girona, the most northerly province in Catalonia. But, as a child of separated parents, I have been living for the last two years with my mother in Madrid. My dad stayed there, in Girona. He loves football, but cannot stand the World Cup. Why? Because his feelings towards the Spanish team oscillate between great indifference or a deep anxiety that the Spanish team will lose.

'I repeat, he loves football. He is an avid Barcelona fan and every day he buys a copy of Nou, a sports newspaper printed in Catalan, in which the Spanish team receives the same treatment as the national teams of Portugal, Argentina, France or England. For him, Spain is just another country. And if Barcelona buys a player, no matter whom, to reinforce the team, then this is on the front page, way ahead of any news about a Spanish victory.

'I say to my dad that I understand his 'Catalanishness', but what I don?t understand is his anti-Spanishness. I suggested to him that he could at least wish Spain to win just for my sake, me, who came to Germany with two friends all the way from Madrid. But no.

'There are times when he treats the Spanish national team just like Real Madrid ­ like the enemy.

I do not know how he reacted to the France?s victory over Spain on Tuesday night. It's his problem. But I?m already fed up with the Spanish team myself. Damn, it can?t always be the same in the every World Cup. So much hope in the first stages, only to fall at the first serious hurdle. We didn't even make it to the quarter-finals. And now, above all, I will have to endure my dad.'