Practically the entire San Mamés stadium stood up this Saturday to honor Martín Zabaleta, the first Spaniard to summit Everest in 1980. A feat that he took advantage of to place at the top of the mountain an ikurriña with the ETA symbol. Gesture of apology towards the terrorist group from which he has never retracted. “There won’t be any whistles,” commented one fan. at the gates of the stadium. There have not been any, in fact his kick-off by Sherpa Pasang Temba has been accompanied by thunderous applause from the stands.
It is true that in detail there has been a division of opinions. Some people present today in San Mamés told ABC that They did not know the figure planned for the tribute. Others were dissatisfied. There have also been those who argue that criticism is decontextualized and that this is “a thing of the past.”
Zabaleta, together with the Sherpa Pasang Temba and the expedition of Gipuzkoans, Biscayans and Navarrese who accompanied him, summited Everest on May 14, 1980. Year marked in red, which recorded 91 murders, being the most in the history of the violence of the terrorist group. Just one day after the incident, ETA shot three National Police officers to death. On those same dates, specifically on May 16, he shot dead the Gipuzkoan businessman Ceferino Peña Zubía and two members of the Civil Guard in Navarra, Francisco Puig Mestre and Francisco Ramón Ruiz Fernández.
The protagonists of the tribute in the Cathedral communicated yesterday, causing a great stir on social networks and provoking the rejection of representatives of the victims of terrorism such as Consuelo Ordoñez and groups such as Ego Non, dedicated to denouncing ETA exaltation. The decision was made after a meeting on Monday this week, as confirmed by Athletic Club sources. They defend that the act only indicates the sporting feat and that it was proposed after learning about the Sherpa’s trip to Spain, on the occasion of the celebration of the centenary of the Basque-Navarra Mountaineering Federation.
Club fans point out, however, that It could be a “payment” to the Aberzale part of the clubafter Spain’s victory in the Eurocup this summer. The National Team, led by Luis de la Fuente, who played for Athletic Club, featured club players such as Nico Williams and Unai Simón, achieving great projection.
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