Needling The Spanish: French sporting satire

Sport has long had the capacity to stir up diplomatic unrest. Douglas Jardine's insistence that Larwood and Voce deployed leg theory on the MCC's Ashes Bodyline tour in the early 1930s threatened the relationship between Britain and Australia. This, though, was a purely sporting (or unsporting, were you Australian) incident. The spat between France and Spain is well removed from a sports arena; it is being played out on television.

There has been some needle, so to speak, between the French and the Spanish in the matter of Rafael Nadal. It was spiked by the utterances of Nadal's trainer-uncle, Toni, when he once referred to Parisians as stupid for having supported Roger Federer more than the Muscle of Manacor, and then by the director of Spanish tourism in Paris who not only agreed with Uncle Toni but went on to suggest that the Paris public had no style. (And they wonder why French tourism numbers to Mallorca have remained static since the turn of the century.)

Now it is the turn of the French and in particular the satirical puppet show, "Les Guignols de l'info", to have a go at Nadal. And the Real Madrid and Spanish national team's goalkeeper, Iker Casillas. And the cyclist Alberto Contador. It all comes on the back of former French tennis star Yannick Noah's insinuation that Spanish sport was so far removed from being clean that pretty much all Spanish sportspeople were doping.

Allegations that Nadal may have acquired his physique in ways other than just naturally are nothing new. But there has never been any proof. They are allegations, and though Nadal has sought to brush off the satire directed at him (e.g. using a syringe to write a letter of support to Contador, banned for two years for doping), the Spanish Tennis Federation has said that it is considering suing the show's broadcaster, Canal Plus. It would have a justifiable case in doing so. It may be satire, but it could just as easily be described as defamation.

The spat between Spain and France over the show has now embraced all manner of politicians. The Spanish Ambassador in Paris has been in touch with Canal Plus; the French sports minister has received a letter from the Spanish sports council; the leader of PSOE, Alfredo Rubalcaba, has had his say; and the Partido Popular in the Balearics is presenting a parliamentary motion condemning the "parodies of Spanish sportspeople", one that the opposition parties have criticised, saying that the PP should be worrying more about unemployment.

What kicked it all off was Contador's ban for doping during the 2010 Tour de France. If the 2010 Tour had been the only time that Contador had found himself embroiled in a doping controversy, the French might not have decided it was high time that some satire was directed at him and Spanish sport in general. But it wasn't the only time.

A problem for the Spanish, in defending themselves against the jibes, is that there has been equivocation by sporting authorities and that there has been political influence. The Spanish Cycling Federation was close to giving Contador a one-year ban before former prime minister Zapatero voiced his support for Contador and the federation accepted the defence of meat contamination, which ultimately led the World Anti-Doping Agency to take the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and to the two-year ban (which in practice will finish in August this year).

Nevertheless, the satirical attacks by Canal Plus and Noah's accusations have caused rightful indignation. As always, in understanding why there is indignation, it is appropriate to consider the reaction were the boot on the other foot, i.e. were the French on the receiving end of doping accusations from Spanish sources.

Nadal does come out of all this pretty well. He has played it down as an attempt at humour, but one that may have gone too far. Whether, however, the Canal Plus show was the catalyst is not clear, but Nadal was subject to a surprise, recent dope test.

In accepting that, rather being personal, the French attacks are aimed at Spanish sport in general, Nadal is aligning himself with the politicians, one of whom, the foreign minister no less, has pointed out that in 2011 there were 62 more cases of doping in France than there were in Spain. Touché. Meanwhile, however, and the political fall-out notwithstanding, the Spanish sport minister has said that there will soon be a new anti-doping law. This may or may not have been planned, but it will now seem timely, and no doubt the French will take the credit.


Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.