Podcast: Football and the Spanish Civil War

The Spanish Civil War, which ran from 1936-39, was a precursor to World War II. The conflict cost between 500,000 to one million lives and led to four decades of fascist dictatorship in Spain under General Francisco Franco. The domestic league was impacted, with implications for Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, Athletic Club de Bilbao and FC Barcelona in particular.

In this podcast, we catch up with Bilbao-based Dan Parry, who runs the excellent The Linesman blog, to discuss what happened to the domestic game in Spain during the conflict and the legacy on the major clubs.

2019 marked th 80th anniversary of the end of the Spanish Civil War and Clapton CFC in the English non-league has created a third strip (pictured on the editor, right) in honour of the International Brigades who fought for the Republic.

Read our post on what happened to the Spanish league and cup competition during the Spanish Civil War here.

If you’re interested in this topic, check out our post on football and Spanish regional identity, our podcast on the story of Patrick O’Connell, the Irishman who saved FC Barcelona during the Civil War, or this podcast on football under Franco.