As Spain’s Basque Country continued to reel from the death of 28-year-old Iñigo Cabacas, the region's interior department announced plans to restrict the use of rubber bullets as of January 1, 2013. An autopsy revealed that Cabacas died after receiving a rubber bullet to the head during riots following Athletic Bilbao's Europa League victory against Schalke 04 on April 5. The claim by the Ertzaintza, the Basque regional police, that no rounds were fired from a distance of less than 22 metres is contradicted by the conclusions of the autopsy report, which shows the fatal shot to have been fired from a much smaller distance. The rubber bullet restriction announcement by Basque interior … [Read more...] about Rubber bullet ban won’t solve Spain’s policing problem
Athletic Bilbao
La Liga: The Diego Effect
Certainly, for El Cholo as he is affectionately known at the club where he previously spent two stints as a player and captain, the honeymoon period is petering out as Atlético Madrid have reverted to type and fallen back into their inconsistent ways. Brought in to replace Gregorio Manzano who was sacked in December, his return was very much a case of returning home after six and a half years. A huge fan favourite, Simeone had played for Atléti twice. The first time in the mid-nineties, he was part of a side which won the double in 1996. His second stint came from 2003 until 2005, when he left in tears to rapturous applause from supporters. His reign as manager began brightly as it so … [Read more...] about La Liga: The Diego Effect
La Liga: Spanish success
The all-night party in Bilbao capped a successful week for Spanish football which sees five la liga clubs competing for top honours in Europe with Barcelona and Real Madrid – the top two Champions League contenders – and Athletic Bilbao, Valencia and Atlético Madrid all through to the quarter finals in the Europa League. Despite being reigning World Cup and European Champions, it has been some time since la liga teams have proved so strong in European competition with the last few years dominated by Premier League sides. The early 2000s saw Spanish football leading the way, with Real Madrid’s seemingly unstoppable Galácticos at their peak winning the Champions League in 2000 and 2002 … [Read more...] about La Liga: Spanish success
Athletic Bilbao returns to big-time with Manchester United tie
Considering the global appetite for European and particularly English football, it is often difficult and potentially even dangerous to try and determine whether the behaviour of the fanatical supporter seated next to you at your local watering hole is driven by a genuine affection for the game or a lifestyle choice born out of social compulsion. However, occasionally there are games that by their very nature facilitate the making of that distinction. Games which are rendered significant not by the hyperbolic pre-match bluster of television or the immediate consequence of the result but by historical context, and a certain nostalgia-tinged sense of occasion. For Athletic Bilbao, the tie … [Read more...] about Athletic Bilbao returns to big-time with Manchester United tie
Athletic Bilbao’s golden generation stands at the crossroads
It’s a pivotal week for the future of Athletic Bilbao. On Thursday, July 7th, the club holds its presidential elections, with former Athletic midfielder Josu Urrutia challenging current president Fernando García Macua for control of the Basque club. Urrutia’s candidacy started with a bang when he announced that former Argentina and Chile boss Marcelo Bielsa would be manager should he win. Bielsa, who recently rejected the chance to take over at Inter Milan, is a managerial heavyweight. A deep football thinker, he is known for sending out tactically astute, but sometimes mentally brittle, teams. While his unbalanced Argentina flopped at the 2006 World Cup, Chile were one of the stand-outs … [Read more...] about Athletic Bilbao’s golden generation stands at the crossroads
Athletic Bilbao’s local lions belie football’s global trend
Athletic Bilbao’s selection policy is both its strength and an obvious demographic weakness: only players born in the area known as the “historic” Basque Country, encompassing Vizcaya, Guipúzcoa, Álava, Navarre and three French regions –or who were schooled in its youth ranks– are strictly eligible to pull on the red-and-white shirt. While this policy has been relaxed just slightly in recent years, the only sides in Spain to operate a policy anywhere near as defined by region are fellow Basques Real Sociedad and Barcelona, which currently fields a number of Catalans but also has players brought into the fold at an early age, such as Andrés Iniesta and Leo Messi. But Barça also has a … [Read more...] about Athletic Bilbao’s local lions belie football’s global trend