Basque football teams

Can you list the top facts and stats about Basque Country national football team? The Basque football teams Country has had a football team of its own since During Franco's year dictatorship it only played two games.

The Basque Country has had a football team of its own since During Franco's year dictatorship it only played two games. After Franco's death in , the team was reformed using the name Euskadiko selekzioa and from the early s began playing regular friendly matches, usually during La Liga 's Christmas break. In , the team's name was controversially changed to Euskal Herriko futbol Selekzioa causing disagreements which led to the annual matches being cancelled. In , a compromise was reached and it was changed again to Euskal selekzioa. Each regional federation organised its own league, and also selected a team to play against other regions.

Basque football teams

For those that don't know the story, or perhaps missed the headlines, then perhaps I can recap. Joseba Etxeberria, a long-serving player for Athletic Bilbao has offered to play for the club for free next season, which it is believed will be his last before retirement. Etxeberria is believed to be aiming to reach the landmark of games played for Athletic Bilbao. While much of the focus following this generous achievement has undoubtedly been on Etxeberria and his sincere act of goodwill, I thought that the act itself illustrated perhaps a bit more, beyond Joseba's generous nature. The act itself spoke volumes for Athletic Bilbao as a club, for its principles, its fan and the very nature of the club itself. For FC Barcelona, the motto of the club is "more than a club". For those who don't know, this motto is itself perhaps bigger than the club itself. For the club itself is not merely a football club, but they are in fact a nation, or rather the hopes of a nation--the Catalan nation. For the past century FC Barcelona have been one of the key vehicles for Catalan nationalism, fostering a sense of unity and identity in times of persecution under Franco and always allowing Catalan nationalism an international stage on which to show itself. Yet perhaps the motto "more than a club" could be applied to another club very much in a similar position to FC Barcelona, Athletic Bilbao. Athletic Bilbao are perhaps the lesser known of the two independent "national" clubs in Spain, but are nevertheless as important to its fans as FC Barcelona are to theirs. Athletic Bilbao are very much the club of the Basque country.

Real Sociedad were founder members of La Liga inand its longest spell in the top flight was for 40 seasons, from to La Journada Deportiva in Spanish, basque football teams.

Association football has been a part of Basque Country culture since the end of the 19th century. Modern football was introduced to the Basque Country in the late 19th century by a combination of mostly British immigrant workers, visiting sailors and Spanish students returning from Britain. Clark on 22 April Interest in the sport continued to grow among the local citizens, who began to practice it, and they even went as far as to challenge the British team in to a match at Lamiako , [4] [6] [7] and naturally, the much advanced British won by a resounding score 0—5 , but the result did not discourage the enthusiastic locals who were quick to play another match as the sport was sparking high interest in the area. The new Bilbao FC was officially established shortly after its foundation since its regulations were approved by the civil governor and printed in

Spain's oldest goalscorer Aritz Aduriz played in an international friendly on Friday - but not for Spain. The year-old captained a Basque Country team that also featured fellow Spain internationals Inaki Williams, Inigo Martinez and Asier Illarramendi against Venezuela - the world's 32nd best side. As they are not an 'official' team, they are not part of Fifa's rankings - but they still won in front of a crowd of 15, at Alaves' Mendizorrotza stadium in Vitoria-Gasteiz. The squad is selected from players born in the autonomous region in northern Spain, as well as the neighbouring regions of Navarre and the French Basque Country. The Basque Country has a large degree of self-rule, its own language and cultural traditions, and Basque Football Federation general secretary Kepa Allica said Friday's match, their first since December , was "more than a game". Players can play for both Spain and the Basque Country because the latter is not affiliated with Fifa or Uefa, but that is their ultimate goal. We want our own team playing in official competitions. Aduriz is the Basque Country side's top goalscorer with 12 goals in 11 games, while Sociedad legend Xabi Prieto is their record appearance-maker. Allica says it is "not difficult" to call up players who play for Spanish teams, but it is "more difficult" if they play in other leagues around Europe. Before Friday's match, their last outing was in , where they beat Tunisia at Bilbao's San Mames stadium.

Basque football teams

Journalist Ian Hawkey has published an interesting article in the Irish daily The National in which he states that not all Basque soccer is limited to Athletic Bilbao. He says there are four clubs, leaving out the one club in all of the Premier League whose name is in the language of the Basques: Osasuna. The idea that the Navarrese are not Basque was invented at the end of the s by the heirs of the Francoist governors of Navarre. The real story is quite different. For motorists, days like Sunday in the town of Eibar, northern Spain, are a long grumble. For the local minority not in proud wonder at the fact that little Eibar are playing in the top flight of Spanish football, there have been mutterings that drivers would be better off if the club got relegated. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Surecakes

However, discrepancies between the federation, players and ESAIT led to the match, scheduled again to be played against Iran, not to be played. Research suggests its people have thicker skulls than average, while Basques have the highest concentration of type O blood in the world, accounting for about 50 per cent of its population. Archived from the original on 14 March San Ignacio won on penalties. LaLiga Expert. La Gaceta del Norte. In the autumn of the team crossed the Atlantic to play in Mexico where FIFA had given them permission to play clubs and the national side. Vitoria is only around 65 km south of Bilbao but the two cities are separated by mountainous terrain which makes travel between them slightly more challenging. Chuuk Palau B Pohnpeii Yap. Noticias de Gipuzkoa.

The Basque Country has had a football team of its own since During Franco's year dictatorship it only played two games. After Franco's death in , the team was reformed using the name Euskadiko selekzioa and from the early s began playing regular friendly matches, usually during La Liga 's Christmas break.

Mundo Deportivo in Spanish. The International Journal of the History of Sport. The result was Euskal Herria 1, Catalonia 1. Toggle limited content width. Despite only accounting for just 1. Retrieved 1 July However, discrepancies between the federation, players and ESAIT led to the match, scheduled again to be played against Iran, not to be played. Inside Athletic Club. The Basque Country has loads to offer visitors with amazing food served up in the form of tasty pintxos, vibrant cities and scenic countryside. In , a compromise was reached and it was changed again to Euskal selekzioa. Sporting Club de Lutxana. The federation organises and selects the Basque Country national football team which draws its players not only from the Basque Country autonomous region, but also the neighbouring Basque regions of Navarre and the French Basque Country.