ABSTRACT
The key focus of this chapter is to examine the media constructions and representations of FC Barcelona in both the Scottish and UK media. It has four principal themes. To begin with, it examines the historical discourses that inform the relationship between the media and identity-formation. The chapter then provides an analysis of a case study to illustrate facets of the sporting media in Scotland and further afield in their representations of FC Barcelona. The chapter is especially pertinent as there is a shared folkloric tradition of republican ideology and sentiment between Glasgow Celtic and FC Barcelona, which impacts on media narratives and representations and acts as a focal point to the wider analysis. Finally, since the Scottish Referendum of 2014 and the unofficial Catalan independence vote of 2017, these concerns have a topical edge and provide a backdrop to an examination of the range of discourses that have become associated with FC Barcelona across the UK media and how these have shifted and evolved in recent times.
