The Mediterranean League, also referred to as theLliga Mediterrània (Catalan), theLiga Mediterránea (Spanish) orLa Liga del Mediterráneo, was afootball league played in theRepublican area of Spain during theSpanish Civil War. The league, played out in early 1937, was won byFC Barcelona. Clubs from the league also competed in a cup competition, theCopa de la España Libre.^[1] By 1938 the Republican area was divided and a second Mediterranean League season proved impossible to organise. However an alternativeLliga Catalana, also won byFC Barcelona, was arranged.

TheSpanish Civil War, which began in July1936, left Spain divided. SeveralLa Liga clubs, includingSevilla FC,Real Betis,Real Sociedad,Athletic Bilbao,Celta de Vigo andDeportivo de La Coruña found themselves in areas under the control ofFranco.

TheRepublicans controlled three major cities –Madrid,Barcelona andValencia – and much of the surrounding countryside. They also controlled much of theLevante coast. As a result of this divide,La Liga was suspended. However, during late 1936, some regional leagues continued to be organised in the Republican areas. TheCampeonato Levante featured teams fromValencia andMurcia. Participating teams includedValencia CF,Levante FC,Gimnàstico FC,Hércules CF,Murcia FC andFC Cartagena. Valencia CF emerged as champions with 13 points.

TheCampionat de Catalunya was also contested betweenCE Espanyol,FC Barcelona,Girona FC,Granollers SC,CE Sabadell FC andCF Badalona. BothMadrid CF andAthletic Madrid had applied to join theCampionat de Catalunya, but their application was rejected byFC Barcelona. CE Espanyol emerged as champions with 14 points.

The Republican civil authorities also organised the Mediterranean League as an alternative toLa Liga. It was intended to feature all twelve teams from both theCampeonato Levante and the Campionat de Catalunya. HoweverHércules CF,Murcia FC andFC Cartagena had to withdraw because their towns were bombarded. To even the balance between teams from Catalonia and Valencia,CE Sabadell FC andFC Badalona were also withdrawn andAtlético Castellón were invited to participate.

DespiteMadrid being in the Republican area, neitherMadrid CF orAthletic Madrid entered the Mediterranean League. The reasons for this are debatable. Their non-participation has been blamed both on internal divisions within the Republican ranks and the fact that Madrid remained closer to the frontline than eitherBarcelona orValencia. The league was contested between January and May 1937. After 14 gamesFC Barcelona, with a team coached byPatrick O'Connell and featuringDomènec Balmanya andJosep Escolà, emerged as champions.CE Espanyol finished as runners-up andGirona FC, coached byFrancisco Bru finished third.Valencia CF, who featuredLecue ofMadrid CF as a guest player in their last two games, finished fourth^[2] andLevante FC finished fifth.

On September 28, 2007,FC Barcelona requested that theRFEF to recognise the Mediterranean League as aLa Liga title. This action was taken after the Spanish Congress proposed to the RFEF to recognise Levante FC'sCopa de la España Libre win as equivalent toCopa del Rey trophy. Nevertheless, the governing body of Spanish football has not made an outright decision yet.

On March 25, 2023, the RFEF conceded officially to Levante theCopa de la España Libre. Under these circumstances, Barcelona demanded over again from RFEF adding to its palmares the Mediterranean League contested in 1937 as equal to La Liga, given that this competition was achieved in the same conditions with the above. A decision, however, is yet to be made.

^[3]

By the latter half of1937 and early1938 the war was going against theRepublicans. In November 1937 their capital was transferred fromValencia toBarcelona and after theBattle of Teruel the Republican area was split in two. In football terms this meant that a second Mediterranean League was impossible as clubs from theLevante were unable to enter. Instead a Lliga Catalana, featuring just Catalan teams was organised. The competition was never completed due to disruption from the war but the title was subsequently awarded toFC Barcelona. The Barça coachPatrick O'Connell had returned from the tour ofMexico and the United States with only four players. Despite this, FC Barcelona won both theLliga Catalana and theCampionat de Catalunya.

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	FC Barcelona(C)	17	14	1	2	85	26	+59	27	Champion(-2)
2	UE Sants	16	10	3	3	66	37	+29	23
3	CE Europa	16	7	3	6	46	39	+7	17
4	FC Martinenc	16	7	3	6	39	44	−5	17
5	RCD Espanyol	16	6	4	6	45	44	+1	16
6	Avenç	16	8	3	5	45	36	+9	14	(-5)
7	FC Badalona	15	4	1	10	32	50	−18	9
8	CE Júpiter	17	4	2	11	28	76	−48	8	(-2)
9	Iluro SC	15	2	2	11	31	55	−24	6
10	CE Manresa	2	0	0	2	4	14	−10	0	(Withdrew)

• Ball, Phil (2003).Morbo: The Story of Spanish Football. WSC Books.ISBN 0954013468.
• Burns, Jimmy (1998).Barça: A People's Passion. Bloomsbury.ISBN 0747545545.
• Martialay, Félix (2016).El fútbol en la guerra (Tomo VIII): Federación Catalana [Football in the war (Volume VIII): Catalan Federation] (in Spanish). Madrid:CIHEFE.ISBN 978-8494500985.
• "1937-38: Catalan League (Lliga Catalana)".RSSSF.

• Spanish Civil War
• Wartime association football
• 1936–37 in Spanish football
• 1937–38 in Spanish football
• Defunct football leagues in Spain
• Football in the Valencian Community
• Football in Catalonia
• 1936–37 in European association football leagues
• 1937–38 in European association football leagues
• 1936–37 in Spanish football leagues
• History of football in Spain

• Webarchive template wayback links
• CS1 Spanish-language sources (es)