Nationalfootballism, historical and iconographic foundations: Ricardo Zamora and the Fascist Spain

Abstract

This research rethinks the concept of "nationalfootballism" as a tool for critique and historical memory, in order to grasp the complex links between the world of football and power structures in Spain. After locating the origin of the term and discussing its uses in the existing literature, the article documents images and archival materials that suggest, on the one hand, that the temporal arch of nationalfootballism has precedents before francoism (even if that is its real center), and on the other hand, that it is based on a mixture of the popular and the visual, sport and media, that goes beyond the realm of propaganda or political instrumentation and generates multiple layers of meaning from banal nationalism to the effort narrative, hate speech and machismo. Through the case study of Ricardo Zamora, the text unveils unpublished photographs as well as events, places and dates that confirm the fascists alignment of this important player during the early years of the francoist regime.