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The Irishman Who Saved FC Barcelona

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It is not often that an Irishman takes charge of a foreign club, let alone one of the most prestigious in the world. However, this was exactly the case in 1935, when Patrick O’Connell took charge of FC Barcelona. When the Spanish Civil War erupted in 1936, it was O’Connell who saved the club from almost certain extinction. Amongst all of Barcelona’s famous coaches such as Bobby Robson, Louis van Gaal, and Pep Guardiola, is the name of an Irishman, who should perhaps be the most famous of all…

barcelonaThe man who saved FC Barcelona was born into a working class Drumcondra family in 1887. He spent his childhood playing as a tenacious central defender for Stranville Rovers and later, Liffey Wanderers. He signed his first professional contract with Belfast Celtic in 1908, before making the move a year later to Sheffield Wednesday. He then moved to Hull, where he spent two seasons. It was during this time he burst into the national team where he made a total of six appearances, including one as captain.

O’Connell then became the first Irishman to captain Manchester United, having made the move from Hull for £1000. However, due to the start of World War One, his career at United was cut short. He became player-manager at Dumbarton and Ashington, but as he drifted away from his family, he decided to make the move to Spain.

His career at United was overshadowed by a betting scandal in 1915. A game against Liverpool was allegedly fixed by the players, to ensure the game ended 2-0. Patrick O’Connell, not famous for his penalty taking ability, insisted on stepping up to take a spot kick that was awarded in the game.

He shot blatantly wide.

Such was the obvious nature of the penalty miss, the referee and linesman consulted each other for a brief moment, deliberating whether the penalty should be retaken. Of course it wasn’t, and the game ended 2-0, the scoreline that was agreed in a pub between the players. Although O’Connell was never officially convicted of being involved, he almost certainly knew what was going on due to his role as club captain.

After seeing his playing career fizzle out, he became manager of Racing de Santander in 1922, where he guided them to five regional titles. After a short stint with Real Oviedo, he took charge of Real Betis. He was a revelation at the club, guiding them to their only La Liga title in 1935, which was a remarkable achievement. It was this success that caught the attention of FC Barcelona, and he was soon plunged into the turmoil of managing one of the world’s largest clubs, in the midst of the Spanish Civil War.

The Spanish Civil War started in 1936, and ended in 1939. On one side were the Nationalists, led by Franco, who received help from Nazi Germany. On the other side were the Republicans, who had been forcibly removed from power.

But where does football fit into all of this unrest?

Sport in Spain was seriously disrupted by the Civil War. Barcelona, who played in the Catalan Championship and the Mediterranean League, were forced to travel to games by train at night, with the lights off to avoid bombardment from Nationalist warships out at sea. At this time, FC Barcelona was also critically in debt, and the clubs very existence was under severe threat.

In 1937, an offer came from Mexico inviting Barcelona to play a series of exhibition matches. The club would be paid $15,000 dollars, with all expenses paid. After initial reluctance, the club decided to embark on the fourteen-day crossing to Mexico with twenty men. As one representative from the club phrased it:

“Stay in Barcelona and risk getting blown up, or go on a football tour of America. It wasn’t much of a choice was it?”.

On board were sixteen players, O’Connell, two staff members, and a club doctor.

O’Connell, utilising his Irish humour, convinced the groundsman, who had no medical knowledge, to act as a physio:

“Don’t worry”, said the Irishman, “I’ll teach you along the way”.

The Mexican tour was supposed to only comprise of seven games, but $5000 was offered for the club to play games in patrick o connellAmerica. And so, O’Connell and his players undertook the four day voyage to America. They played an additional four games, concluding in a game against a Jewish XI, which was the first time Barcelona played under lights.

But the fun was to come abruptly to an end. FC Barcelona were treated as Republican representatives everywhere they went on their tour. Back in Spain, Franco how this could distort the world view of his regime. Viewing it as a political expedition, he banned all players from football for two years.

Of the twenty men who left on the tour, only nine returned, including O’Connell. Those who did not return went into exile in Mexico, to avoid the Franco regime that was establishing itself in Spain.

The tour to America, led by O’Connell, saved the club almost certain extinction due to financial troubles. FC Barcelona made a profit of over $12,900, which cleared them of all debt. If another manager of weaker character had been in charge at the club, maybe the tour would not have been undertaken. This is why O’Connell, bold and decisive, is accredited with saving FC Barcelona.

Not much is known about Patrick O’Connell once he left Spain, apart from that he married again and moved to London. Although a character to be marvelled at on the pitch, he was somewhat of a “lovable rogue” off it. He abandoned his wife and children when he moved to Spain, and is rumoured to have been involved in many love affairs. He died in 1959 in London, buried in an unmarked grave.

It is a true mystery how a man held in the same regard as Pep Guardiola in Barcelona, is virtually unknown in Ireland. In an effort to give the man known in Spain as “Don Patricio” the recognition he deserves, there is campaign to erect a monument in Belfast – where he played his first matches as a professional footballer.

Patrick O’Connell is one of the most decorated men in Irish football history, and it’s time his story was known.

The post The Irishman Who Saved FC Barcelona appeared first on Aidan Curran | My American Soccer Journey |.


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