A wild tale with no winners

Wednesday evening's 'Letters and Football' event was a very special sesion in which Aitor Lagunas, a journalist and writer specialising in foreign football, recounted a bizarre and wonderful story that took place in France in 1979 for his ‘Brazalete Negro’ podcast.

The live recording of the episode featured also featued Lander Otaola, a Basque actor and Athletic Club fan, who dramatised several parts of the story.

A group of trade unionists from the city of Nantes could think of no better way to draw attention to the plight of the town of Longwy than by stealing the French Cup (Coupe’79) that FC Nantes had just won.

As Aitor Lagunas said at the beginning of the podcast: “This is the story of the 700 kilometres that separate a run-down working-class town in France, on the border with Belgium, from a pretty, affluent city where the River Loire has the scent of the Atlantic.

"This is the story of the four men who travelled the length and breadth of the country in a car, dreaming that a football cup could curb capitalism’s voracious appetite. This is the story of a right-wing singer who supports the workers and a man in a yellow jersey who couldn’t care less about them. This is the story of a club shaped by an exile from Bilbao – José Arribas – who won whilst the market allowed him to. This is a story with no winners."

Speaking of José Arribas, Athletic Club featured a profile of the legendary FC Nantes manager in issue 28 of its official magazine in 2010.

Aitor and Lander re-enacted the events that took place between 6 and 13 August 1979. It was a script worthy of Hollywood, with a closing line on a par with films such as 'Casablanca' (“Louis, I have a feeling this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship”) or 'Some Like It Hot' (“Well, nobody’s perfect”).

When the time came to return the cup to its rightful owner, one of the trade unionists apologised, saying: “We’ve looked after it very carefully… We haven’t even drunk from it.”
 

Thursday at 19:00 CEST: Diego Ibáñez & Javier Aznar

Thursday's installment of “Letters and Football” will bring together Diego Ibáñez and Javier Aznar for a conversation taking place at 19:00 CEST at San Mames VIP Area's Sala Este.

Diego Ibáñez is a singer-songwriter, best known as the lead singer of the band Carolina Durante. The band has established itself as one of the leading names in Spanish indie rock in recent years thanks to its generational lyrics and raw sound.

Javier Aznar is a journalist, writer and broadcaster. He has contributed to publications such as Vanity Fair, AS and Líbero. He is also the creator of the 'Hotel Jorge Juan' podcast and the author of the book '¿Dónde vamos a bailar esta noche?' (Where are we going to dance tonight?), in which he explores contemporary culture from a personal perspective.

Admission is free. Entry via Gate 14.
 

‘Letters and Football’

‘Letters and Football’ is a cultural festival organised by the Athletic Club Foundation, with special sponsorship from the Melia Bilbao hotel and support from the Spanish Government’s Ministry of Culture and Sport.