Life Stories
Josep Sunyol
Beginnings
Josep Sunyol Garriga was born in Barcelona in 1898. He came from a wealthy family that strongly identified with left-wing politics and with the national identity of Catalonia. He had a good education and began a successful career as a lawyer, journalist and politician.
Football and Nationalism
In 1928 Josep Sunyol became a director of FC Barcelona. Sunyol’s influence was part of the process by which FC Barcelona became identified with Catalan nationalism. He became president of the club, and also president of the Catalonia Football Federation. In 1930 Sunyol founded a left-wing newspaper, La Rambla. From 1931 Sunyol was a deputy in the Cortes (Parliament).
Legacy
From 1931, Spain was ruled by the Second Republic. In 1936 a military revolt led by Francisco Franco plunged Spain into a bitter civil war in which socialists, republicans and Catalan separatists fought against Francoists, nationalists and the Church. In August 1936, Josep Sunyol’s car was stopped by Francoist soldiers in the Sierra de Guadarrama, east of Madrid. Sunyol was shot dead. His body remained in an unmarked grave until 1996, when a pressure group, the Friends of Josep Sunyol, had him re-buried in a ceremony to mark the 60th anniversary of his murder.
Thinking points
Josep Sunyol was a football fanatic and a strong believer in the national identity of Catalonia. He was killed for these beliefs early in the Spanish Civil War.
Educators could look at the life story of Josep Sunyol and work with young people to consider these questions:
- What does the tragic fate of Josep Sunyol tell us about the relationships between football, nationalism and politics?
- Why is remembering Sunyol still a cause of passionate controversy in present-day Spain?
Find out more
Find out more about the life and fate of Sunyol are detailed by FC Barcelona. Back Page Football provides a well-crafted article about this story. A detailed life story can be accessed on Paseo de Garcia (in Spanish).
COVER Image
Josep Sunyol (Source: Paseodegracia.com).
Life Story
48
LIFE STORIES To discover now
Do you wanna know more?
HISTORY CAN BE EXPLORED THROUGH THE LIVES OF INDIVIDUALS
Stories
Browse our collection of stories about football history and inclusion. With the history of football being made up of millions of stories, of individuals and communities, of movements and processes, we offer stories that can inspire our cultural conversations today.
Videos
Get to know untold stories where individuals are making history with football. When faced with insurmountable challenges, individuals past and present can use football as a cultural force to foster positive change in society. We honour these individuals and tell their ‘untold’ stories in short videos.
Educational Resources
Explore our innovative educational resources that use football’s history, heritage and legacy to engage young people. The resources include ready-made lesson plans and historical source collections for school history education as well as toolkit with activities for non-formal settings.
Trending Stories
Refugees
In the wake of the 2015 migration peak, activists and volunteers across Europe have been involved in supporting refugees, sometimes with the simple act of offering space and friendship to participate in football through grassroots clubs to help newcomers integrate.
FC Union Berlin: A rebellious football club in a rebellious city
BBC Sport’s Football Focus visits Bundesliga side FC Union Berlin, a “rebellious” football club from East Berlin with a special set of fans, playing their first season in Germany’s top flight 30 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
LATEST POST You may also be interested in

Formation for Human Rights
A class of high school history students in Oslo was asked to create an ideal starting XI line-up based on Human Rights. Find out why and how it went.

Pass, Shoot, Goal! Football in the Jazz Age – a review
A loving fan and musician put together his two passions and created this compilation of tunes from the Jazz Age.

Mo Salah’s Song to Integration
Prayer days on stadiums, faith rooms and inclusive chants: here is how English football is adapting to a changing world.

Engage young people with football history
Engage young people through Football Makes History’s own Guidebook and Toolkit for promoting social inclusion in formal education or Non-formal settings

21 short stories of football in Amsterdam
Telling the history of a city through football stories: a celebration of Amsterdam.

Angel City FC: An in-vitro football sensation
Angel City FC, the brand new women-majority owned and run club in Los Angeles