ABSTRACT
The healthcare and economic crisis caused by the coronavirus has erupted in Spain in the midst of another sociopolitical crisis, derived on the one hand from the clash between the central State and Catalan separatism and on the other hand from a period of political instability, with four general elections in as many years and a minority left-wing government that is being harangued by the separatist movement and the conservative opposition. In the war against the invisible viral enemy, the political powers are trying to take control of the narrative of this war, while seeking to shift public focus onto an enemy to be worn down. Merging with the media, different political actors are encouraging imagined communities around the State, nation, and ethno-nationalism. The war against the coronavirus is also a war of information, which is being played out in surprising arenas, such as soccer. Soccer has emerged as a polyvalent field of play in which to discuss the notion of country, the role of the State, or the government’s handling of matters. The public, moreover, does not passively consume the messages generated by institutions and the media, but rather reinterprets them in their own way.
