Who’s the Dope?
The Spanish Tennis Federation is suing France’s Canal Plus after their logo appeared in a spoof video that implied that sports stars such as Rafael Nadal used illegal substances which explained the success of Spanish athletics. A caricature of Nadal is shown urinating into the petrol tank of a car, and then the message ‘Spanish athletes: they don’t win by chance’ appears.
A video like this would at any time cause outrage but it comes at a tender moment as cyclist Alberto Contador, winner of the Tour de France and other races, was recently banned for over 2 years for using illegal substances (Contador claims he ate tainted meat).
And this isn’t the first time the French have taken a shot at Spanish athletics so the Federation has clearly had enough. The French station defends itself by saying that comedy/satirical programs are meant to be just that.
Frozen Franco Outrage
Imagine walking through an art gallery past pleasant painted scenes of rusticity only to come across what looks like a drinks fridge which, instead of cans and bottles, has former dictator Francisco Franco, in full military regalia, inside peering out at you. A new sculpture by Eugenio Merino, a controversy unto himself, has art critics and aficionados divided.
The General is slightly bent at the knee as if he is too big for the fridge, which is amusing as Franco was a bit of a short-arse. Entitled ‘Always Franco,’ the piece, according to Merino, is meant to show how Franco has never gone away in Spain, how we continue to talk about him and keep his memory alive, how the General still plays a part in modern Spain 37 years after he expired. “A fridge is where things are kept alive and fresh.” Aah, now I get it.
If you are curious about buying the dictator in a fridge, be prepared to shell out 25 thousand smackers.
Spanair goes Bust
Spanair, Spain’s fourth biggest airline went into receivership leaving over 23 thousand passengers stranded at various airports. The Spanish government is taking legal action against the airline, as it did not offer proper warning: they gave 30 minutes’ notice.
The company, formed in 1986, was being subsidized by the Catalan regional government, but when it failed to draw in Quatar Airways with more subsidies and shares, and when the Catalans notified them of cancelling further liquidity, the balloon burst. Spanair owes 150 million in loans, is way behind on fuel bills, and on top of this has been steadily losing money. Victims of the bankruptcy include over three thousand workers.