Barcelona fans to fly 10,000 Scotland flags in cup final

Barcelona fans will be handed 10,000 Scotland flags for this weekend's Copa del Rey final meeting with Sevilla in protest at pro-Catalan independence flags being banned.

Government representatives in Madrid announced that the 'Estelada' flag will not be allowed into the Vicente Calderon on Sunday due to "operational and security reasons".

The La Liga champions claimed in a statement on Wednesday that the decision is "an attack on the freedom of expression and the fundamental right of each and every individual to express their ideas and opinions freely and without censorship".

A collection of Catalan nationalist organisations are now planning to use the Scotland flag instead, after the country was granted permission in 2014 to vote on whether to stay in the United Kingdom.

"We've chosen this symbol because it highlights the different treatment that Catalonia receives from Spain, compared with the UK government's treatment of Scotland," a group of bodies said in a statement, as reported by BBC Sport.

There have been mass cries for Catalonia to be given a similar vote to that of Scotland, but the Spanish government has so far blocked the move.