Spanish Discord Kills New Lyrics for Anthem

When the proposed new lyrics for the Spanish national anthem were revealed at the end of last week, it looked like a centuries-old quirk of history had finally been resolved. But the four short verses lasted all of five days. They were withdrawn yesterday amid accusations that they were reminiscent of Spain's right wing dictatorship and failed to represent the country's regional differences.

The Royal March has been without official lyrics since it was written in 1761, and the Spanish Olympic Committee (COE) was fed up with its athletes having nothing to sing along to. Although lyrics were written to accompany the anthem under General Franco, they were dropped after his death, and no one could agree on their replacement. Last year the COE launched a competition to find suitable lyrics, which were whittled down from 7,000 entrants by a committee of six athletes, musicians and academics.

Yesterday, the head of the COE, Alejandro Blanco, was forced to concede that the lyrics - written by Paulino Cubero, 52, an unemployed resident of Madrid - were being dropped because of a lack of consensus. "The lyrics have generated controversy and in some cases rejection," said Blanco.

The four verses, while stunningly banal, managed to offend the left, Catalans and Basques, as well as those who felt they should actually say something meaningful about the country. They spoke of "green valleys" and "immense seas", but it was the fact they started with "Viva España!", the rallying call of Franco, that caused most upset.