Barcelona can add two La Liga titles in 2023, one for the 2022/23 league season and one for the 1937 season. Here’s what’s happening.
Between 1936 and 1939, there was a civil war in Spain with the Republicans on one side and the Nationalists on the other. Due to the military conflict, the RFEF (Royal Spanish Football Federation) did not hold any official tournaments during this period.
However, a competition (Mediterranean League) was organized in the republican part of the country in 1937, where 8 teams Barcelona, Espanyol, Girona, Valencia, Levante, Gimnastico, Granollers, and Atletico Castellon participated.
Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid were also invited but ultimately did not play because their city was too close to the frontline and thus too dangerous to play there.
Barça emerged victorious after 14 rounds, defeating Espanyol by one point. However, it was never recognized by the RFEF as an official title.
In 2007, Barcelona asked the RFEF to count their victory in the Mediterranean as a La Liga title, but it was refused. Now, the Catalans have sent an appeal to the governing body, ESPN reports, and will use Levante’s example as an argument in their case.
As there was no Copa del Rey organized by the RFEF in 1937 either, the teams competed in the Copa de la Espana Libre that year and Levante won it. On March 25, the RFEF accepted their request and counted it as an official Copa del Rey trophy.
Thus, Barça hope that their 1937 La Liga victory will also count as an official La Liga trophy.
So Barça can win two league titles in 2023. Currently, the Catalans have won 26 La Liga titles.
