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Camp Nou symbol of Catalan identity
Top left: Catalan flag; middle left: Camp Nou in the 1950s; bottom left : General Franco; right: Camp Nou today, with club motto
As time went on under a Spanish dictatorship, FC Barcelona became more and more associated with pro-Catalan and anti-Franco sentiments in Catalonia.

In September 1957, the club opened their Camp Nou - literally 'new field' - stadium, which almost immediately established itself as a focal part of the local community.

With Castilian Spanish the only officially-recognised language during General Franco's reign, the Camp Nou was for a time one of few places where Catalan could be spoken.

FC Barcelona was a symbol of Catalan identity, hence the birth of the club's motto 'Mes que un club' (More than a club).



see also
Ramos replaces Schuster at Real
09 Dec 08 |  Europe
Real Madrid 4-1 Barcelona
07 May 08 |  Europe

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