The Athletic roared again in Europe six years after the last time, celebrating a saving goal by Paredes in the Olympic Stadium in Rome in the final stages of a match against Roma (1-1) in which he knew how to suffer and endure the attacks of the locals, to push with conviction in the final minutes, leave the ‘giallorossi’ personal Coliseum alive and take a point on the first day of the Europa League. A valuable tie that was marred by the shameful incidents caused by a group of ultras from the Bilbao club.
Right after scoring the tying goal, thanks to a header from Paredes, Members of Herri Norte threw a flare at the Roma fans, with whom they are in conflict. The act was immediately condemned by the rest of the 2,500 displaced to Rome and by both players as well as by the coach, Ernesto Valverde, who prevented the game from resuming for a couple of minutes, until it was turned off and it was ensured that there were no injuries in the area.
After the match, the team captains, Óscar de Marcos and Iñaki Williams, went to the back where their fans were occupying to tell them that this is not the way. “There’s no need to shoot flares here, dammit,” the Ghanaian international said to his stands.
“What do we do if a child dies?”
Ander Herrera also showed his discomfort in front of the media and the club was forced to issue a statement of condemnation. “We love that our people accompany us through Europe, that they sing and that there is color. But I can’t imagine that a person would throw a flare knowing that it could kill another, it’s outrageous,” denounces the Athletic midfielder. “We didn’t know what to do because in the end everyone who traveled paid for two or three who threw the flares,” explains Ander Herrera. “In the end, travel will be prohibited and that harms football. As a child I have always liked to travel with my team, with my friends and my scarf. What happens if a child dies today? What do we do?” Herrera continued, very upset. “We didn’t really know what to do because we didn’t want everyone to pay for the actions of a few and we decided that the captains would go to recriminate them to expose them so that the others will not pay“said the footballer.
The Athletic radicals have used pyrotechnic material along with a large banner that read Herri Norte. UEFA usually sanctions clubs whose fans light flares or other types of elements that are prohibited on a playing field. Whether on the local field or on the visitor’s field.
But who are the Athlétic ultras?
Arbertzales related to the extreme left, the Herri Norte Taldea are the ultra of Athletic. The group was formed in 1982. Shortly after its creation, the north stands of the San Mamés stadium were remodeled, where they settled to host the 1982 Soccer World Cup. At the end of the 80s, also coinciding with a bad time for Athletic Club, Herri Norte suffered an internal crisis, in which the group divided into two sides, the HN-Taldea and the HN-Boys. Finally, Boys were expelled from the group, since despite being the two leftist factions, the Herri Norte Boys wanted to focus more on cheering on the team with a more Italian style of stands, which the Taldea refused.
Raised in hatred of Spain, they are responsible for proclaiming it on their banners and on their social networks. “We are not Spanish and we don’t fucking need it…” is one of their war cries.
In the early 90s HNT grew considerably, creating sections outside the Basque Country and becoming an English hooligan group. Since then, the group has carried out several anti-fascist acts and has caused very serious incidents. Herri Norte channels the “kale borroka” (street fighting) not in the burning of ATMs, cars or garbage containers, but in the violence that confronts other radical groups that come to Bilbao to play with Athletic. In its particular track record, this group born in the early eighties has clashes with other Spanish ultra groups such as UltrasSur (Real Madrid), Frente Atlético (Atlético de Madrid), Ultra Boys (Sporting), Supporters Sur (Betis)… and also with other radicals from foreign teams, including those from Olympique de Marseille or Spartak.
Last season Athetic qualified for the final of the Copa del Rey after beating Atlético de Madrid by a resounding 3-0. But the brilliant triumph led by the Williams brothers was once again marred by the shameful incidents carried out by Athletic ultras. Around 60 violent men entered a bar where some Atlético fans were and attacked them, injuring several of them and sending a fan to the hospital for head injuries after the attack. “At least 30 hooded men broke into the bar after us with metal bars shouting ‘fucking Spaniards’, we are going to kill you”the witnesses declared.
In December 2018, Herri Norte Taldea was included in the provisional list of radical and violent hobbies drawn up by the State Commission against Violence, Racism, Xenophobia and Intolerance in Sports after a pitched battle with Spartak radicals in which an ertzaina died. They have a past dotted with multiple altercations and connections with different leaders of the nationalist left. Arnaldo Otegi himself took a photo with followers of this stand upon leaving prison after serving a sentence for trying to rebuild the outlawed Batasuna following instructions from ETA.
This group, described by the Police as very dangerous, faced fines of 80,000 euros in 2017, as well as “harassment” by the Ertzaintza. due to the multiple identifications and searches. Police sources estimated its members at 200, reducing the number as very violent to around 80.
On March 2, 2016, different reports of the soccer match between Athletic and Deportivo de la Coruña They reported that Herri Norte had displayed a banner in the San Mamés stands welcoming Otegi – “Ongi etorri, Arnaldo”—after his release.
These sympathizers of the radical nationalist left have also been critical of Sortu’s official line in the past, especially when the leader of the Batasuna heir party opted after the police defeat of ETA, which renounced violence in 2011, for that the gang’s prisoners took advantage of individual avenues for reintegration. On January 25, 2016, another El Correo report reported that a group of fans had placed a banner during an Athletic match that read: ‘Sortu, jokoz kanpo zaude’ (Sortu, you are offside).
During the pitched battle carried out in 2018 against Spartak radicals in which an Ertzaintza agent died after suffering a heart attack They confiscated the radicals of the Bilbao club brass knuckles, extendable batons, hammers, stones and some other blunt objects that could be used for throwing or direct attacks.“They are young people with a desire for violence and they take advantage of football to develop that violent attitude,” stated the then delegate of the Government in the Basque Country, Javier de Andrés.
In October 2022, They also starred in an incident in a match against Atlético de Madrid in which Basque radicals displayed flags in support of Russia and the invasion of Ukraine.
During the meeting, flags were shown in support of Russia and the People’s Republic of Donetsk, annexed to Russia in September due to one of its illegitimate referendums with which Russia has continued to provoke its invasion of Ukraine. The flag was red, blue, black and the double-headed eagle that is part of the coat of arms of Russia was drawn on it. When the Ertzaintza saw that they had taken out that flag, they entered and removed it. And that caused a group of radical fans to leave the stadium when there were still about twenty minutes of the match left to play.
the police There are a total of 15 radical groups registered in Spanish football that are prohibited from receiving support from clubs. The list is made up of Symmachiari (Oviedo), Boixos Nois as well as Casuals and Cachorros (Barça), Ultra Sur (Madrid), Frente Atlético (Atético), Bukaneros (Rayo), Iraultza (Alavés), Ligallo and Avispero (Zaragoza), Frente Bokerón (Málaga), Biris Norte (Seville), Jove Elx (Elche), Indar Gorri (Osasuna), Herri Norte Taldea (Athletic Club), Riazor Blues (Deportivo) and Ultra Boys (Sporting).
These groups are totally prohibited from receiving promotion, support and infrastructure from the clubs, which, however, cannot prohibit their entry into the sports venue. except in cases where, from time to time, the membership status of those who participate in fights or brawls can be withdrawn.
Ultra violence, as was confirmed yesterday in Rome, continues to be a cancer in football.