A fine tradition ends. Atletico Bilbao sell their soul.

[Pauro 76]

http://www.footballshirtculture.com/200807271729/sponsorship/athletic-bilbao-to-sign-petronor-sponsorship-deal.html

Cant think of any other teams that refuse to have sponsors now?.. Barcelona have a charity sponsor but still a name across the front.

[newbie]

aston villa now are doing the same as Barca

[GavinZac]

Was expecting they'd signed a truck load of brazilians or something, to break that other tradition they have...

[TheBoss]

They had a sponser in UEFA Cup a number of seasons ago, so it broke it then really. As Gavin says, their tradition of only playing Basque players, I think that will continue for some time.

[HarpoJoyce]

Was expecting they'd signed a truck load of brazilians or something, to break that other tradition they have...


They had a sponser in UEFA Cup a number of seasons ago, so it broke it then really. As Gavin says, their tradition of only playing Basque players, I think that will continue for some time.

What about Bixente Lizarazu
http://www.footballdatabase.com/index.php?page=player&Id=198&b=true&pn=Bixente_Lizarazu

When he joined Athletic Bilbao (please note English influence), he was asked 'You are Eskudi, we thought you were French'. His reply 'Non, non, Je suis Eskudi...pas Francais'. So he plays for them a little while and plays continues to play for the French National side and is asked by the Les Bleu fans 'you are Basquois?, we thought you were Francais' and his reply was 'oui, oui, je suis francais....toujours....'*


* Some quotes may be embellished for the reader.

[pete]

Lack of sponsors is not the tradition I think of when hear Athletico.

[superfrank]

Lizarazu was born in one of the Basque provinces of France.

AFAIK, the criteria for players is that they were born in one of the seven Basque provinces (four in Spain, three in France). Though an exception was made for some Venezuelan player who's parents were Spanish-Basques.

What is most impressive about Athletic is that they are one of only three teams never to be relegated from La Liga. The other two? Real and Barca.

[John83]

...their tradition of only playing Basque players, I think that will continue for some time.
How did Nihat get to play for them a few years back?

EDIT: Never mind. He played for the other Basque team: Sociedad.

[Dodge]

Loads of Spanish players have played for Bilbao. There's a thread about it here somewhere. (Loads of managers too). Lizarazu is defintely a basque though.

Sociedad have the rule of being either Basque or foreign (i.e. not Spanish)

And of course the rules aren't written down

[holidaysong]

Thankfully this thread isn't what I thought it was going to be. I love being Athletic Club de Bilbao in Football Manager - the Basque only policy makes it a great challenge.

[Stevo Da Gull]

Thankfully this thread isn't what I thought it was going to be. I love being Athletic Club de Bilbao in Football Manager - the Basque only policy makes it a great challenge.

Nah not for me, I can't even stick South America because of transfer limitations.

I also thought when I read the title that they had signed non-basque players.

IMO Bilbao's basque rule is fine - embracing your own culture, whereas Sociadad's rule of we'll sign anyone who's not Spanish seems to be a bit discriminatory.

[pineapple stu]

Loads of Spanish players have played for Bilbao. There's a thread about it here somewhere. (Loads of managers too). Lizarazu is defintely a basque though.

Sociedad have the rule of being either Basque or foreign (i.e. not Spanish)

And of course the rules aren't written down
Yup; just reading Morbo now; Athletic (not Atletico as noted earlier) Bilbao kind of change the rules as it suits them (and then, correctly, I suppose, note that there is no such rule in the first place). They're almost entirely Basque, but not exclusively.

[superfrank]

IMO Bilbao's basque rule is fine - embracing your own culture, whereas Sociadad's rule of we'll sign anyone who's not Spanish seems to be a bit discriminatory.
As opposed to only signing players who are Basque enough?

[Stevo Da Gull]

As opposed to only signing players who are Basque enough?

There is a difference though, signing basque and part-basque players is like having a team of Police where only members or previous members of the force may play. Comparatively Sociedads team is made up of anyone who's not a, let's say, fireman... ok it's a poor comparison but you see what I'm getting at?

[superfrank]

Athletic discriminate against players who are not Basque whereas Sociedad discriminate against players who are Spanish.

It'd be like an Irish team only signing Irish players and having another one who won't sign Travellers.

[Stevo Da Gull]

We'll have to agree to disagree. I see it as one club for Basque players and one club for anyone who's not Spanish, I am aware that Bilbao is the club more associated with Basque pride etc but in terms of transfers I reckon their system is less offensive to the Spanish people.

[Billsthoughts]

IMO Bilbao's basque rule is fine - embracing your own culture, whereas Sociadad's rule of we'll sign anyone who's not Spanish seems to be a bit discriminatory.

Probably cause they dont like the spannish...?
Lad in work from san sebastien was telling me Lizarazu left Athetico because he wouldnt pay the revolutionary tax to ETA.

[HarpoJoyce]

Probably cause they dont like the spannish...?
Lad in work from san sebastien was telling me Lizarazu left Athetico because he wouldnt pay the revolutionary tax to ETA.

Em, as you know people get stuff wrong.
First ask your friend is he 'from San Sebastian or Donastia (or near the city)?'.

Second, please find BBC report from 2001 regarding M. Bixente Lizarazu and the extortionate requests he suffered from the nationalists, four years after he left Athletic Club Bilbao.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/internationals/eta-tries-to-justify-tax-on-lizarazu-688316.html

My question is why you italised the 'O'?

[Dodge]

Just to annoy those who are annoyed by it being pout there wrongly I'd assume. same people would do their nut at the lack of an l

[HarpoJoyce]

Just to annoy those who are annoyed by it being pout there wrongly I'd assume. same people would do their nut at the lack of an l

(if 'pout' means 'put' I understand the post,)


There is a big H'istorical reason for the English spelling. It started off cultural but got political later on. And footballwise there is a famous Madrid club for comparison, which always helps.

Maybe for Billsthoughts it's anecdotal, I'll wait to find out.

There are football fans in Ireland (none on this thread) which dislikes the romanticism that many Europeans hold for England.

[Dodge]

Apolgies for the typing....


And footballwise there is a famous Madrid club for comparison, which always helps.

And of course, that Madrid team were originally set up as an off shoot if the Bilbao team.

[superfrank]

There are football fans in Ireland (none on this thread) which dislikes the romanticism that many Europeans hold for England.
It's totally understandable. They gave us the game.

Left to our own devices, we came up with something that's nowhere near.

[Stevo Da Gull]

Probably cause they dont like the spannish...?


I know that ;) was merely pointing out that Sociadads transfer policy has more to do with shunning the Spanish than it does with helping football in the Basque country or anything like that. I just respect Bilbao's policy more. And their league record is incredible considering.

On the subject of sponsors, money talks. I do feel that more could be made of Barca and Villa do but whether or not enough people will give a hoot is another thing.

[HarpoJoyce]

And of course, that Madrid team were originally set up as an offshoot of the Bilbao team.

I wasn't aware of that, I assumed they began/remained separate. (this isn't a belief that all students/tradesmen are the same everywhere, is it?)

[Billsthoughts]

am lost eh what dodge said about he "o" thing.
My mate is from San Sebastien itself. He is a big real(he says nobody calls them socieadad) fan. obviously his opinion is subjective and not the final word on all things basque. incidentally he said athletic never had a sponsor in the uefa cup that they had the basque country name Euskadi on their shirts. For this I think they got money form local government.

[Dodge]

am lost eh what dodge said about he "o" thing.

The club is called Athletic. They absolutely hate people calling them Atletico

harpo, Atletico madrid were set up by a group of basque students and wore the same kit as Athletic (blue and white at the time). Various incidents over their history have changed them though

[Billsthoughts]

The club is called Athletic. They absolutely hate people calling them Atletico


sorry that should have read...Im lost(re what harpo was sayin). and what dodge said about the o thing is correct.

[Dodge]

ah right ted...

[Mr Maroon]

When I read the title I thought they'd signed a non-Basque player! This isn't as big a deal IMO.

[Over the post]

Hats off to Athletic keeping up a proud tradition although in fairness, their definition of Basque can be extended to include anyone half decent from Navarre, La Rioja. I seem to recall being told that even if you're not Basque born, if you received your footballing education in the Basque country you're also eligible. The appearance of a black lad in their youth team caused raised eyebrows recently, although he is Basque born.