Why does Basque pelota set off all the alarm bells for Spanish nationalism?

Barcelona"The government's partners have smelled blood and will destroy Spanish sport to further their interests." The entry of the Basque Pelota Federation of the Basque Country (FPVE) into the International Federation (FIPV), approved on December 28 during an assembly held in Pamplona, has set off alarm bells among the Spanish nationalists, who have launched a legal and media campaign to try to overturn the decision. The statement by Borja Sémper, spokesperson for the PP, sums up the panic of a segment of society that, until two days ago, was unaware of the sport's existence. The newspaper Brand brought the topic to its front page, but got confused and illustrated the information with baseballs.

On May 31, Gernika-Lumo will host the Nations League, the first competition of the year organized by the International Federation of Basque Pelota. Something unusual could happen in this tournament due to the participation of the Basque national team as a full member. The International Federation of Basque Pelota, meeting virtually on Thursday, decided not to suspend the Spanish Federation, a situation that would have prevented its athletes from participating in international competitions.

The lawsuit filed by the Spanish and Cuban federations against the Basque and international federations at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) led the FIPV to not authorize the participation of pelotaris representing Spain in official tournaments. "We must apply the same criteria in our competitions to act with complete coherence and responsibility, avoiding any decision that could jeopardize our permanence in the international organization," clarifies the Basque Federation.

The president of the High Council of Sports (CSD), José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes, assures that this organization is working to reach an agreement "regarding the better recognition and projection of Basque pelota" with both the Spanish Federation and the Basque and International Federations. "The laws must be complied with, and Article 48 of the Sports Law must be applied. In a state governed by the rule of law, no one should question this. Recognizing indigenous sports such as Basque pelota, Valencian pelota, or Canarian wrestling is recognizing the richness of sporting expressions that represent us all."

The CSD convened the legal teams of the three federations involved on Wednesday with the intention of opening "a space for constructive dialogue between the three parties and creating a working group," but the meeting did not take place.

"An irregular procedure"

On December 28, the FIPV general assembly approved the admission of the Basque Federation with the support of more than two-thirds of the countries attending the event. The Spanish Federation did not vote because its representative was not a member of the governing committee and, therefore, was not entitled to do so. The Spanish Federation was in the process of holding elections, and the president of its governing committee, Julián García Angulo, had been sanctioned by the disciplinary committee for inappropriate comments on social media.

"The procedure is flawed by law, and the agreements were adopted under an irregular and opaque procedure," the state body states. "It is important to note that, despite the maneuvers to avoid the jurisdiction of the CAS in the future through statutory modifications so lacking in transparency that no one has yet seen them, the current FIPV statutes maintain this jurisdiction. We will use all legal tools to protect Spain's rights," it stated in a statement.

The Basque Federation is trying to ease the tension. "We have repeatedly expressed our willingness to establish a framework for constructive collaboration with the Spanish Pelota Federation, for the benefit of athletes and the overall development of Basque pelota," says Gotzon Embil Unanue, president of the FPVE.