"If Catalonia were independent one day, Barça would still play in the Spanish league. I have no doubt about it". Sandro Rosell, the FC Barcelona president, spoke categorically about this issue during a meeting with businesspeople at the Vallés Oriental delegation of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce.

Rosell believes that there is nothing to debate and it would be an open-and-shut case were such a situation to materialise. Barça would not break away from Spain's sporting system. "It would play (in Spain), just like Monaco does in France", the 'Azulgrana' supremo argued.

These comments make clear Rosell's stance with regards to one of the big question marks over Catalonia's bid for independence. Having attended the mass demonstration held on the streets of Barcelona this Tuesday – he did so with his family and not as a representative of the club – Rosell believes that the team would be best served by not cutting its ties with the Spanish football pyramid.

"Barça is an institution that cannot remain aloof from the reality of the country, but the club does not take a position on any demonstrations of a political nature. Any director who attends will do so in a personal capacity". These were the words of Carles Vilarrubí, the Barcelona vice-president, on the subject of Rosell's intention to go to Tuesday's protest.