Interviews
FRI 19.05.2023
Fernando Yanes had everything on the line. So did his cousin.
The two put their life savings into launching 77Sportbar in Coral Gables, Florida, just west of Miami. After opening in October 2017, the soccer-specific saloon quickly underwent a facelift less than six months later.
It ended up being the best business decision Yanes made.
“After many, many nights, I decided this is the moment—this is the time I’m going to turn this bar into an FC Barcelona bar forever,” Yanes recalls.
Establishing a relationship with the Barcelona-based beer company Estrella Damm, Yanes began acquiring memorabilia and merchandise of his cherished Catalan club to decorate his newly themed bar.
Word began to get out to Barça fans in and around Miami, including members of Penya Barcelonista Miami-Dade, that 77Sportbar was the place to be. The bar filled with kits, chants, goals, giveaways and culés.
Yanes’ favorite club also began recognizing his establishment. Former Brazilian right back Juliano Belletti who played for Barça from 2004-07 visited in 2019, while members of Barça’s board also made it a point to pit stop in Coral Gables.
“We started creating that relationship directly with the team,” Yanes says. “Now we are part of a big network they have.”
Yanes’ relationship with Barça—at least from afar—began in the mid-to-late ’90s. Growing up in Venezuela, following LaLiga wasn’t as easy as it is today, but Yanes did the best he could to follow the Blaugrana and Brazilian striker Romário, who he admired.
From there Yanes began to learn more about the club’s philosophy and style of play. Like millions, he even dreamed of honing his craft at the famed La Masia. While his professional playing career never took off, Yanes is closer to FC Barcelona than he could have imagined.
In fact, his relationship with the club went one step further when he and his wife traveled to Spain this past February—after a detour in Paris first. Yanes celebrated his 36th birthday in the Catalan capital, highlighted by a trip to Camp Nou for the 2-2 draw against Manchester United in the Europa League on February 16.
“I was waiting like 20 years for that,” Yanes says. “It was incredible.”
FULL SERIES:
A Breakaway from Household Support
Real’s remontadas roped in this fan
Unexpected Encounter Leads to Unforgettable Experience
Sevilla Fandom Comes Full Circle
UD Almería unites community in New Jersey
Basque Roots Grow in Meaning for Boise Student
Local peña helps Celta Vigo fans overcome morriña
San Diego, the Birthplace of the first Cádiz Peña in the U.S.
Fate, luck and curiosity brought this fan to Atleti
Real Sociedad fandom blossoming in Boise
Growing up in awe of Sánchez, Real Madrid
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¡Vamos mi Sevilla! ¡Vamos Nueva York!
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Living near the Bernabéu led to this fan loving Real Madrid
How a U.S. Elementary School Principal Helped Save Real Oviedo
Growing the Beautiful Game in Montreal and Beyond
Uruguay’s Forlán Helped This Fan Fall in Love With Atleti
Ready to stick with RCD Mallorca through thick and thin
Behind this Barça Fan’s Pregame Ritual
A Fan’s Growing Barça Obsession in Toronto
Villarreal Academy Creates New Fans in Nebraska
Zamorano, Casillas Led this Fan to Real Madrid
All in on El Submarino Amarillo
Love, Marriage and Real Madrid
Watching Madrid at Bernabéu would be a “dream”
An Eibar fan’s journey from FIFA to fandom
Gamer Guillen closer to seeing Barça in Spain
Falling in Love with Real through FIFA
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