Stanley Charles Harris (1884 – 31 January 1909) was an English footballer who played as a forward for Spanish club FC Barcelona.[1] He is best known for being the very first player in Barça's history to have been sent off during a match.
Stanley Harris was born in Scotland, and in his native country he gained experience playing at Craven School in North Yorkshire. FC Barcelona made its official debut on 8 December 1899, and Harris actually played for the rival team, Team Anglès, a team made up of members of the British colony living in Barcelona,[2] featuring alongside the two Parsons brothers (John and William), which had been among the founder of the club two weeks earlier, on 29 November. Harris joined Barça on 13 December, only five days after that match.
On 11 February 1900, in the match against a combination of the best players of FC Català and Escocès FC, Harris brought down Scottish player Willie Gold with a strong tackle. Gold's reaction caused a fight between players of both teams, and as a result, he was sent off, the first time that sanction had been used in Spanish football. Harris did not escape punishment - he was then sent-off as well, thus becoming the very first player in Barça's history to be sent off during a match.[3] This incident caused Arthur Witty, Barça's captain in this match, to resign from the position.
In the following year, Harris was a member of the Barcelona side that participated in the first edition of the Copa Macaya, which was the first football championship played on the Iberian Peninsula, and the forerunner for the Catalan championship which began in 1903, but despite his best efforts, Barça finished as runner-ups to Hispania AC.[4]
