The Basque Country is indeed an enigma, but not by choice. Covering an area of approximately 42,000 square kilometres of southern France and northern Spain, its identity and culture have been suppressed by years of ignorance on the part of the French and Spanish governments. Their refusal to grant the Basques full independence shows a lack of understanding of who they are and where they've come from.
The history books show that Basque tribes came to prominence long before Roman times and as their settlements converged, they formed a community which today numbers over three million people.
But any ambitions they may have held to fly the red, white and green flag over their land were soon extinguished. The marauding armies of the French Revolution in the north and a series of civil wars in the south left the Basque Country in disarray.
The Ikurriña (Basque flag)
It meant that towns like Biarritz and Bayonne were swallowed up into the Pyrénées-Atlantiques region of France and Bilbao and San Sebastian were consumed by the Biscay region of Spain.
The identity, language and spirit of the Basque people were stifled into a shadow of their former selves. Their future, you might think, looked bleak. Their history and development may have appeared to be all but over, yet the Basque Country is still very much alive and kicking to this day.
The Basques are more determined than ever to hold onto their heritage and their place in modern society is certainly assured thanks to their people who have excelled in art, culture and sports - none more so than in the game of football.
So many recognisable names from today's game come from the Basque Country. Xabi Alonso (Liverpool), Ivan Campo (Bolton), Asier del Horno (Valencia) and Mikel Arteta (Everton) are all Basques. Look further into the past and more great names come to light: Luis Arconada, Joseba Etxeberría, Bixente Lizarazu, Gaizka Mendieta, Andoni Zubizarreta... the list goes on.
Some of the world's best-known clubs are also from the Basque Country. Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad, Osasuna and Alavés are all regular participants in La Liga with Atheletic Bilbao employing a Basque-only player selection process out of choice.
And the Basque Country isn't without its own national team either. The Euskadi XI has played matches since 1915 and even played in the Mexican League (which they won in 1939) but it's only been since 1979 that they've had more regular outings against opposition from around the world. In their last game back in May 2006, the Basques played hosts to John Toshack's Wales team, losing in the end to a solitary Ryan Giggs goal despite being technically the superior side.
It's therefore such a shame that we fail to see the Basque Country playing in the European Championships or the World Cup alongside the other great teams we've come to admire. They deserve the chance to show us who they are as one people, not as a nation split forcibly into two. By being strong and staying true to their cause, the Basques have shown they have the character needed to thrive in the game of football and beyond.
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3 comments:
Excellent post. Euskadi v Catalunya at the Camp Nou earlier this season was a great game. They filled the stadium, which I thought was quite impressive. Good to see all those Catalan and Basque flags in there.
My personal worry this season is that Athletic might go down. That combined with the fact that Real Sociedad look likely to go down too would leave the Basque region pretty badly underrepresented in La Liga. Besides, like Barca and Real, Athletic have never been relegated.
Hey Linda - thanks for your kind words and your comments!
I'm curious to know (as my research proved inconclusive) - does the Basque team play Catalunya every year? I bet it's a great atmosphere at the San Mamés Stadium!
Yes I noticed that Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad are currently in the bottom three of La Liga, and I sincerely hope they stay up.
On the plus side, Osasuna have done well to reach the last 8 of the UEFA Cup. It'll be tough for them having to play Leverkusen, though...
I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for all of them!
As far as I know, both teams traditionally play a game at Christmas time, depending on who they can get to play them.
Barca's site claims that they've played each other 10 times, with the Basques winning 6, drawing 2 and losing just once. The very first game they played against each other did not have a recorded result for some reason.
Curiously enough, Catalunya have attracted the likes of France, Argentina and Brazil as opponents, while Euskadi seem to have a bit more trouble in that department.
If you look at the list of players for the last game, though, it's interesting to see the make-up of the teams. Euskadi was mostly Athletic players, while Catalunya was made up of Barca/Barca B/former Barca/Espanyol types. Almost none of the best players from both sides turned up. No Xabi Alonso, Mikel Arteta, Carles Puyol, Xavi, Luis Garcia and so on. Kind of sad. At least Guardiola always turned up.
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