Face to face between the president of the Catalan and Spanish federation of roller hockey

A bitter discussion between the Spanish and the Catalan president of the roller hockey federation took place yesterday on Catalan radio.
Ramon Basiana (Catalunya) and Garcia Raposo (Spain) exposed their arguments for and against the recognition of Catalunya.
Garcia Raposo's tone was arrogant and authoritarian and his arguments were mainly based on nationalistic and politics views of Spain.

Raposo's arguments against the recognition of Catalonia:

• The Spanish federation hasn't seen the official request of the admission of Catalonia
• The recognition wasn't in the FIRS agenda
• The FIRS members weren't told the truth
• Outside Spain no one knows Catalonia, all they know is Spain
• The president of the FIRS is a Catalan and that was the main reason why Catalonia was provisionally admited.

Basiana's arguments for the recognition of Catalonia:

• The statute of the FIRS allows nations without state to become permanent members and therefore compete internationally
• Catalonia is a strong power in roller hockey and the whole world of hockey would benefit from the admission of Catalonia
• 48 nations without state are represented in international federations of a wide range of sports
• the Spanish law says that only the Spanish national team can represent Spain but Catalonia only wants to represent itself.
• Catalonia is not against anyone. It's all about a sentiment and the freedom to represent the country that you feel you belong to.

Listen to the interview: http://www.elsesports.net/tvcmult/163848667.rm