Athletic Club release statement in response to Nico Williams-Barcelona backlash
This comes, for those who may have missed it, after the 'fans' in question made clear their feelings with star attacker Nico Williams.
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Wide-man Nico is of course widely understood to be closing on a departure from Athletic, ahead of linking up with La Liga rivals Barcelona.
The two parties, this week, went as far as to thrash out an agreement on the terms of a contract.
News of as much, evidently, did not go down at all well with those of an Athletic persuasion, who on Sunday hit back at Nico in harsh fashion.
Specifically, the 22-year-old saw his image erased from a famous mural in Barakaldo. In its place, the following message was written:
'Joan edo geratu, errespetua galdu duzu. (Go or stay. You have lost our respect).'
And as alluded to above, those behind the scenes at San Mamés have since slammed those responsible for the act.
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In a lengthy message posted across the club's website and social media platforms on Sunday evening, Athletic wrote:
'The dignity of a club is the dignity of the people who make it up and is measured by their capacity to behave in a coherent way with their own values, without falling into provocations or lowering themselves, and always holding their heads high. Respect is one of the fundamental pillars of Athletic Club.
'The summer has just begun and publications about Nico Williams, a player with a contract with Athletic Club until 2027, abound in the media and social networks. Along with them, an endless number of comments and reactions of all kinds. Nico is one of us. A player raised in Lezama, loved in the dressing room and supported by his fans.
'The dignity of a club is also reflected in the way it protects its own people. That is why those who have erased Nico's image from artist Carlos López's mural in Barakaldo do not represent Athletic. And if they think they are part of this family, they should know that they are wrong: to disrespect one of our own is to disrespect Athletic itself.'
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The lengthy statement can be read in full via the link below:
Conor Laird – GSFN
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