Interview with Ignacio Ugartetxe

The president of the entity, Ignacio Ugartetxe, reviews for our Web the most current red-and-white aspects. He reveals that Athletic Club continues its pace at focusing on Asier Del Horno’s renewal, states that the turf of San Mamés is improving, despite the fact that a solution will have to be sought in the summer and he trusts that the team will maintain the positive start of the second half of the season.

How has the entity taken the withdrawal of the offer by Asier Del Horno’s representative?
At first, Athletic Club was absolutely puzzled by the letter delivered at the Club by Asier Del Horno’s representative this past 21 January, especially when that same day in the morning, and at the request of our sports director, Andoni Zubizarreta, the desire by both sides was ratified to hold a meeting the following week in order to finally approach a stance based on the proposal that Athletic Club had prepared to deliver him. Despite the surprise that receiving this letter supposed, the entity maintains its initial plan to communicate to the player’s representative the offer prepared and has today communicated to the representative our intention to hold a meeting with him in order to present him the mentioned proposal.

Does Athletic Club want to renew Asier Del Horno?
I would like to leave it perfectly clear that the Club wants Asier Del Horno to remain, for many years, in this, his home. We have had patience with the player and we are going to continue having it. Certainly, we have not given up.

Many amounts have been shuffled in the matter…
It is not a custom of this club to reveal to the public the figures that it negotiates with its players and it is not going to be me who breaks that custom. I will say, however, that the contracts that the club offers have fixed quantities, but also some variables by objectives that, if achieved, could even get to duplicate the contract to perceive.

What is your assessment of the state of the turf of San Mamés
With regard to the turf I should say that everyone was pleasantly surprised by its condition during last Sunday’s match, more still if we keep in mind the weather conditions that dominated over the days previous to the dispute of the match set against Deportivo de A Coruña. We are satisfied with the work being performed by the company that takes care of San Mamés and we hope that the weather will help us and improve, before, once the championship ends, we confront a permanent solution to this problem.

Is the team on the track drawn at the beginning of the season
I think that the sports course of the team is reasonably good and this is also how our members and enthusiasts understand it. At the onset we marked ourselves the objective to achieve a seat in Europe and we are in the correct line to obtain this. At home, we are showing ourselves tremendously solid and in the away matches perhaps we have only lacked a little success, and also luck, to be in a better place in the classification. Anyway, I have founded hopes placed in this second half.