His face showed that the question was not expected, that being an interview at the national level, the last thing he imagined was that the journalist from Radio Nacional would put him between a rock and a hard place.
– Well, Mr. Ortuzar, to finish, Ricardo Barkala or Iñaki Arechabaleta?
He didn’t hide his surprise but neither did his smile. In fact, almost all of the response was smiling. She didn’t get wet and got out of the way showing her most diplomatic face.
«Although it is only Biscayan, the truth is that it is a very relevant topic. It is often said that Amatxu de Begoña, PNV and Athletic form the backbone of Bizkaia. I’m going to get the PNV out of the way… They are two great candidates. The campaign has not started. We’ll see… », he began.
But Barkala or Arechabaleta? «As a member, as an individual person, not as president of the PNV, I will see each one what they propose and what the project is that ensures a better Athletic. Because Athletic is something, forgive me the militants who are not from other teams, very special that must be preserved, pampered and guaranteed a future. The one that proposes the best project will have my vote«.
It was not the only sports question. The League ends this weekend and the rojiblancos still have options to return to Europe. However, the president of the PNV does not see it at all clearly…
«One of the few things that upsets me a lot is Athletic. And one of the things that I like the most is to follow the team when it moves away. I would be very excited to return to Europe but the truth is that lately, to be honest, every time we have a momentous game we lose it. We do the difficult things, we reach the finals, and when we have to give our chests we are left in the lurch. I hope that rule is broken on Sunday in Seville and that next year we will be in Europe.”
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