Around 70,000 supporters of Athletic Club traveled from Bilbao and other regions of Spain to Seville on Saturday night for Copa Del Rey festivities and to watch their team win its first major championship in forty years. However, the real celebration is set for Thursday, when the team will participate in an official act of the Copa Del Ray celebration in the Basque Country.
April 11: The Day Of Celebration For Athletic Club
After Oihan Sancet leveled the score, Ernesto Valverde’s team was forced to battle for 120 minutes against a tenacious Mallorca club that defied the odds to grab an early lead through Dani Rodríguez and then force penalties. Álex Berenguer won the match with a penalty kick after Manu Morlanes and Nemanja Radonjić missed their opportunities.
Thursday, April 11, will be the day of celebration in order to give returning supporters time to go back to Bilbao, as well as to arrange everything and provide the right conditions. Thus, the team has said that it would “finally set sail again and celebrate this new triumph with the Athleticzale family on that date, after 40 years and six consecutive lost finals, La Gabarra, with a team of champions aboard.”
What Is La Gabarra?
Translated as “The Barge,” “La Gabarra” is a significant part of Athletic’s history. It sails down the Ibaizabal River, which separates Bilbao, bearing the winning team, staff, and trophy, so that supporters can swarm the riverbanks to honor their victors.
The boat has not been used in forty years since the officials decided not to use it if Athletic won the Spanish Super Cup in either 2015 or 2021—the only championships the team has won since the Copa del Rey in 1984.
Built in 1960 by Astilleros Celaya at the request of the Bilbao Port Authority, La Gabarra—a misnomer given that it is officially classified as a pontoon boat—was originally known as “Barge Number One” before being renamed “Athletic” after being used for celebrations by the soccer team.
The song “down the river Nervión a barge was coming down, rumbling rumbling, with eleven requetés [Carlist volunteers] with red berets” was written during Spain’s first Carlist War, and it was first used for this purpose in 1983 when Athletic won LALIGA on the last day of the season. Director Cecilio Gerrikabeitia suggested to club president Pedro Aurtenetxea that this would be a unique way to celebrate.
It was thought to be a suitable idea because of the tight ties to Bilbao’s industrial background and past, where barges were commonly used to transport heavy products up and down the river and from one side of the city to the other. As a result, Athletic dubbed “Barge Number One” to represent their vessel.
Andoni Goikoetxea In His Interview
Andoni Goikoetxea, a member of the 1984 winning team, told DAZN in a 2021 interview that it’s “victory, triumph, joy, seeing the red and white fans as we came up the river, seeing them everywhere with tremendous emotion.”
But it wasn’t used again until 2013, after being used twice in 1984 to commemorate a league and cup double in 1983. That time, it was to be “retired,” with José Ángel Iribar, the club’s former goalie for Athletic, captaining the boat as it traveled down the river to the Bilbao Maritime Museum, which is near the San Mamés stadium.
The boat has grown to represent the team and its festivities, and supporters are excited for its eventual return to play, which is expected to occur about 40 years after it was last utilized to celebrate a title.
Follow Us:
Youtube | Google News |
Igniteds is on YouTube; click here to subscribe for the latest videos and updates.
