FC Barcelona’s Pursuit to Recognize the 1937 National Title
FC Barcelona has long maintained a clear aspiration to have the national championship of 1937 officially recognized in its favor. While the club has repeatedly signaled this intention, a recent decision by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has reignited the debate and given new momentum to Barcelona’s case. In a move announced this weekend, the federation endorsed the requests that Levante UD and Deportivo de La Coruña had previously submitted. Both clubs were granted recognition for historic titles that are considered predecessors to what is known today as the Copa del Rey. Specifically, Levante was acknowledged for the 1936–37 Cup under conditions that mirrored those of the league Barcelona won during that era, while Deportivo de La Coruña received acknowledgment for the 1912 Concurso de España. The federation thus formally recognizes these two cups as part of the nation’s football heritage and as precursors to the modern competition structure.
The recent decision to recognize Levante’s title from the 1936–37 Cup—the same period during which Barça won the league—has provided Barcelona with renewed ambition to secure official status for its own 1937 triumph. Media reports and authoritative outlets indicate that the club is determined to pursue recognition of the national title from that year, which was referred to at the time as the Mediterranean League. Barcelona has long advocated for official status to be granted for this tournament, which emerged during the Spanish Civil War. The advocacy has been persistent, reflecting the club’s broader strategy to align historical achievements with the contemporary record books. Historically, the Mediterranean League operated outside the standard framework of the RFEF, which is why it has not been incorporated into official tallies in the past. The Barcelona leadership, led by President Joan Laporta, has repeatedly urged alignment of the federation’s records with the league’s wartime competitions and the club’s own historical narratives.
The conversation around these titles is not new. In 2009, Barcelona explored avenues to claim the 1937 league title, considering different legal and federative routes. The club ultimately did not pursue a formal declaration through the federation at that time. Levante, by contrast, took a different path by presenting its claim to the Parliament, invoking the Historical Memory law as a basis for recognition. The two cups that Deportivo and Levante received—although not organized by the RFEF—have now received official acknowledgment as part of Spain’s football chronicle. That acknowledgment lends credibility to Barcelona’s long-standing demand for recognition of its own victory from 1937 and strengthens its argument that this title belongs within the national record. The agency notes that if Barcelona’s application were to be validated through official channels, it could add a historic league title to the club’s tally, potentially bringing its total to 27 league titles.
As the federation’s stance evolves, Barcelona remains focused on pursuing official status through proper channels. The club argues that the Mediterranean League, established during a period of upheaval and transition in Spanish football, represents an integral part of the sport’s history in the country. The practical implications of such recognition would be significant for the club, the league’s historical record, and the broader narrative of Spanish football during a tumultuous era. The evolving dialogue reflects a wider interest in accurately chronicling competitive achievements that occurred under exceptional circumstances and ensuring that the record reflects the full scope of Spain’s football heritage.