MX23RW : Wednesday, November 27 05:39:04| >> :120:24313:24313:

President: 'Barcelona can't play in La Liga if Catalunya granted independence'

Barcelona would not be allowed to continue playing in La Liga should Spanish state Catalunya be granted independence, the league's president reveals.

The president of the Spanish Football League has revealed that Barcelona would not be allowed to continue participating in La Liga should Catalunya become independent, unless an "inter-state agreement" were reached.

The region has campaigned for separatism from the rest of Spain, but should that be granted then it would have a drastic knock-on effect for Barca - and an array of other sides - who have long been a symbol for Catalan independence.

"I don't like to speculate about impossibilities. Catalunya will always be Spain," Javier Tebas is quoted as saying by AS. "And I'm not only worried abut Barcelona, but Nastic, Girona, Espanol, Llagostera and Sabadell.

"If the Sports Act remains the same, they could not compete in our league. We would have to change the Sports Act. Andorra, for example, play in our competitions because the law specifically states they can. There's an additional provision. Initially, Barcelona could not compete in La Liga unless there is an inter-state agreement."

Around 1.5m people gathered in the streets of Barcelona in 2012 as part of a 'March of Independence'.

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A general shot of a Premier League football ahead of the Premier League clash between Everton and West Ham United at Goodison Park on October 30, 2016
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2Real Madrid1393128111730
3Atletico MadridAtletico148512181329
4Villarreal137422521425
5Athletic Bilbao146532013723
6Osasuna146441922-322
7GironaGirona146352018221
8Mallorca146351312121
9Real BetisBetis145541616020
10Real Sociedad145361111018
11Celta Vigo145362224-218
12Sevilla145361318-518
13Rayo Vallecano134451314-116
14Leganes143561319-614
15Getafe142751011-113
16AlavesAlaves144191524-913
17Las PalmasLas Palmas143381825-712
18Valencia122461219-710
19Espanyol133191226-1410
20Real ValladolidValladolid142391027-179


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