Athletic Club’s Denial

Athletic Club categorically denies the news published on Saturday, the 20th of February 2010 in the MARCA newspaper on page 16 under the heading of “THE ERTZAINTZA DID NOT INTERVENE BECAUSE THEY DID NOT HAVE PERMISSION FROM THE CLUB”, the introductory heading of “The police cannot act according to their criterion” and the subtitle “The regulation is clear: in the field of play the Club’s private security has priority. Those in charge of the autonomous region’s police shouted themselves hoarse asking for the all clear to try and stop the conflict” because this does not correspond by any means to the truth as to what occurred nor the responsibilities that the Club is attributed regarding the club having authority over the Ertzaintza with reference to their intervention at any given time or another.

The Club would like the record to show that, in accordance with the Royal Decree 769/1993 of the Regulation for the Prevention of Violence at Sporting Events, at the San Mamés Stadium there is a security coordinator from the Ertzaintza who is the highest authority on the subject of security at a sporting event, with the Club’s Security Chief being under his supervision and following the coordinator in question’s instructions at all time.

Secondly, Athletic Club would like to put on record that the Ertzaintza’s coordinator, the highest authority, was monitoring the events while in direct contact with the Club’s Security coordinator at all time, and it was the first person mentioned who made decisions concerning all the interventions, by the securities forces and the Club’s protection services, our security services did not ignore his instructions at any time, but just the contrary.

Therefore, and with regards to the information published by the MARCA newspaper, Athletic denies that the Ertzaintza needed any type of authorization from the Club to intervene; given that this falls under their responsibility, and that at any moment did the Club obstruct their work.