Spanish nationalism is indignant about Athletic Club's new shirt

BarcelonaFew football jerseys have generated so much noise even before going on sale. Two weeks ago, Athletic Club presented what will be their jersey for the next season. Like other clubs, they did so right at the end of the current season, debuting it in their last league match away at Real Madrid. The jersey, however, is not to everyone's liking, as the Basque club has made a small modification. In recent years, they played with a small Basque flag, the ikurriña, on the back of the neck. But for the next season, they have opted for a map with the silhouette of Euskal Herria with an ikurriña inside. The reaction from parties like Vox or UPN has created quite a stir, especially in Navarra.

The jersey was presented with the slogan "Gure nortasuna" (Our identity, in Basque) by the club chaired by Jon Uriarte. Basque nationalism argues that their land, a fact not recognized by either the Spanish or French government, consists of the seven provinces where Basque has historically been spoken: Álava, Biscay, and Gipuzkoa, the three provinces of the community known in Spain as the Basque Country, Navarra, and three provinces under French control: Lower Navarre (Nafarroa Beherea), Labourd, and Soule. In Navarra, a large part of the population identifies with the concept of Euskal Herria, but another part, especially south of Pamplona, does not. Thus, the party Unión del Pueblo Navarro (UPN) has initiated a campaign to get them to prohibit Athletic Club from using this jersey. Its president, Cristina Ibarrola, has already sent a letter to the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, Rafael Louzán; to the club president, Jon Uriarte; and to the president of Navarra, María Chivite, asking for the map of Euskal Herria to be removed from the jersey. Furthermore, they have filed a complaint with the Competition Committee of the Spanish Federation and have threatened to take legal action if necessary.

Ibarrola has complained because he believes that Athletic Club "incorporates a message of a politically, identitarian, and institutionally controversial nature, by projecting a certain territorial conception that includes the Chartered Community of Navarre within a political reality alien to its legal, administrative, institutional, and political framework". The Navarrese party bases its written statement on Rule 4.5 of IFAB, the body that regulates the laws of football, which restricts political messages on footballers' attire, and on several articles of the RFEF's Competition Regulations. Other parties, such as the PP and Vox, have also complained, especially in Navarre. The Vox delegation in Navarre, in fact, responded to the club's tweet announcing the jersey with a message that read "Athletic de Bilbao, the club where the affection for ETA nests". The spokesperson for the Vox parliamentary group in Castile and León, Carlos Pollán, has denounced this jersey before the Superior Sports Council.

These groups also presented two proposals in the Parliament of Navarre to make an institutional declaration against the jersey. UPN's proposal received votes in favor from PP and Vox, while the Socialist Party abstained and the EH Bildu, Geroa Bai, and Contigo-Zurekin groups voted against it, which led to the proposal being rejected.

The club has not wanted to respond to the criticism received, although sources from the entity have explained to the Basque press that it is a claim of their footballing identity. The club normally uses the expression Euskal Herria, both on social media and with a flag that often appears in the stadium where you can read "Made in Euskal Herria". What Athletic Club has done is post a photo of the jersey on the day of its debut, worn by the player Robert Navarro, which was understood as a subliminal way of remembering that someone from Navarre would be part of Euskal Herria.

Former Athletic Club and Barça player Iñigo Martínez was one of those who publicly positioned himself with a message on social media that read "the seven united, even if many don't like it", and he used the expression "Zazpiak Bat", which refers to the seven Basque provinces.

In Catalonia, esteladas have been banned

This season, the Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB) did not allow Sol Gironès Bisbal Bàsquet, a team in the Segunda FEB, the third state category, to play with their usual jersey, as it had an estelada on the front. “We play basketball, but we also represent language, country, and sport. The design of our jersey is a symbol of our club's identity, but the FEB is relying on an anti-violence regulation from the sports law where the estelada is considered a violent symbol. We don't understand it. Furthermore, the estelada appears in our colors, so we could discuss the legality of this decision,” said Joan Ferrer, the club's sporting director.