Barça-Athletic: The story of a disagreement

There was a time, not so long ago, when Athletic Club and FC Barcelona treated each other as respectful rivals on and off the pitch. They shared victories in the Copa del Rey finals— Barça won it in 2012 and 2021, and Athletic did the same against the Blaugranas in 1932 and 1984—and also in the Spanish Super Cup finals, with Barcelona winning in 1983 and 2009, and the Basques lifting the trophy more recently, in 2015 and 2021. If there were tense moments, they remained on the pitch, such as the boos at San Mamés for Andrés Iniesta. Two months after Spain won the 2010 World Cup with a goal from the La Mancha native, Barcelona won 3-1 in Bilbao. The crowd at La Catedral felt that Iniesta had exaggerated the obvious challenge on Amorebieta, and he was sent off.

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However, the rivalry reached another level when the conflict moved off the pitch and into the offices following the outbreak of the Negreira case. The situation reached its climax with the possible signing of Nico Williams. In Athletic Club's eyes, Barcelona has not respected financial rules with the signings of players like Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor, a transaction that was ultimately authorized by the High Council of Sports. They have also criticized the practices of Laporta's board, such as the activation of the famous levers. Where once there was empathy between two friendly clubs, now there is an institutional conflict.

The conflict, which began with the Negreira case, reached its peak this summer.

Just yesterday, the Basque club announced that LaLiga president Javier Tebas had agreed to meet with Athletic Club president Jon Uriarte in Madrid to discuss compliance with financial fair play regulations regarding Barcelona's ability to register players. In its statement regarding the meeting, Athletic emphasized its "legitimate interest" in accessing this information, after Barça's sporting director, Deco, expressed the club's interest in signing Nico Williams in an interview with La Vanguardia .

Athletic Club's statement Athletic is busy: meeting with LaLiga

Athletic Club would like to thank LaLiga de Fútbol Profesional for the willingness and clarity shown at the meeting held yesterday between the two entities, which was attended by the presidents of both organizations, Javier Tebas and Jon Uriarte. The meeting was held in Madrid in response to a request from Athletic Club made within the framework of compliance with financial fair play. Among the topics discussed was FC Barcelona's ability to sign players, given Athletic Club's legitimate interest in accessing the relevant information, after FC Barcelona sporting director Anderson Luis de Souza 'Deco' publicly acknowledged that they will try to sign a player from our first team. Player who has a contract with Athletic Club until June 30, 2027. Our job is to ensure that the rules of the competition are complied with. Anderson Luis de Souza 'Deco's' statements add to the public statements by FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta himself, admitting that the Blaugrana club "is working to be within the 1:1 rule" and that, therefore, it is not currently within the parameters of said rule for the registration of players. We appreciate LaLiga's complete willingness and clarity in its qualified response, while affirming that Athletic Club will defend its interests to the utmost in compliance with the financial fair play regulations approved by each and every one of the professional clubs that make up LaLiga.

Taking advantage of the statement, the club also responded to president Joan Laporta's remarks at the Palau de la Música, where he advised Athletic to "mind their own business." Athletic responded: "Nico has a contract with Athletic until June 30, 2027. Minding our own business means ensuring that the rules are followed."

It all began in 2023, with Barcelona's first visit to San Mamés since the Negreira scandal broke. The Atletico fans took advantage of the March match to throw banknotes with the word "mafia," the dollar symbol, and the Barça crest. Chants such as "To the Second Division!" and "Let Negreira sing!" were heard in the stands. The atmosphere surprised many. "I'm surprised by this atmosphere of hostility. They've always treated us well. Judging prematurely isn't good," said Xavi Hernández, then Barcelona manager.

This season, under Flick, Barcelona's visit to Bilbao also had repercussions in the stands. After winning La Liga, Laporta's advisor, Enric Masip, complained about the treatment he received: "I'm very disappointed with the Bilbao fans. For whistling in the corridor and for not congratulating the president," he said. Uriarte retorted: "People are free to do what they want, within limits. There's weariness, fatigue, and strange things like the issue of payments to Negreira, which have been proven, but we don't know how he's doing." He rounded things off by criticizing Barça's policy on signing players: "In the winter transfer window, they don't give permission for certain signings, and a political body comes in and authorizes it," he said, referring to Olmo and the CSD.

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The soap opera has returned this summer. Athletic Club, already aware of Nico Williams' desire to sign for Barcelona—as communicated by his agent, Félix Tainta—intends to closely monitor the Catalan club's accounts to verify whether it complies with the 1-1 fair play rule. They won't be satisfied with Barça paying the 64 million release clause: they want LaLiga and the RFEF to prevent the transaction as long as the Catalan club doesn't comply with the regulations. The conflict is more heated than ever.