Athletic Club - An Example Of Identity Off The Pitch, But Not On It
When you think of identity within football, one team springs to mind: Athletic Club. One of the oldest and historical clubs in Spain, known worldwide for their truly unique policy of using only Basque players, or those with Basque heritage. Everything about Athletic screams heritage; from the museum in San Mames, the Lezama training complex that has produced over 300 academy graduates and the bars in the city-centre that are adorned with Athletic flags as the locals spill out in to the streets before the match. On the pitch, however, Athletic have struggled to make their mark under new coach Jose Angél "Kuko" Ziganda and look a shadow of their former-selves. Since Kuko's appointment, Athletic have scrabbled and floundered their way through a patchy season that started well, but has tailed off considerably with fans growing considerably restless. Whilst there have been contributing factors to the downturn in form, losing the creative Iker Muniain to a season-long knee