The passionate Basque fans ensure a truce for Thursday. But the rift with the club and among the fans themselves is very deep.

Within the Athletic Club, in addition to the return match against Roma, the ongoing intense tension between the organized fans and the club management continues to dominate. The ICHH group accuses the company of “wanting to turn us into a fan stand controlled by some institutions, creating a Real Madrid-style model”. The issue seems far from over. The parties are seeking an agreement, though, they are passing the buck with volleys of statements and official documents. Like the one signed by Athletic to establish behavior guidelines to respect, which was rejected by the passionate Basque fans. There’s only one thing everyone can agree on, the importance of the match against Roma. A statement from ICCH clearly reads, “given the vital importance of Thursday’s match, we offer an alternative so that the whole of San Mames can roar in unison”. The message then continues with a proposal from the fans to the club: “Since the vast majority of fans are unable to use the club’s animation elements (flags, megaphones, etc.), we have asked permission from Athletic to introduce our own (2 megaphones, 2 drums, 3 flags) to energize the stadium in the best possible way. If there are no obstacles, we will turn San Mames into a hellish inferno, reminiscent of the grand games of the ‘red-and-whites'”. The atmosphere is, therefore, extremely tense. “The fact that they argue amongst themselves creates a stressful situation for the players,” Valverde stated, following incidents that have caused distinct rifts even amongst the fans themselves. The president of the “Casco Viejo” group, Carlos Acero, stated, “In 53 years, I’ve never seen anything like this. What really matters is Athletic.” The footballers have thus decided to “take to the field” to try at least to quell the spirits. One above all, Nico Williams, the home idol, who wrote on social media: “All united this Thursday,” a clear message that certainly did not go unnoticed. Thus, it is difficult to anticipate the atmosphere that awaits Roma in Bilbao. A truce is expected, but any spark could reignite internal divisions.