Marcelo Bielsa will not return to Athletic Bilbao: the candidate who would have taken him as DT finished second in the elections

The platform for the presidential candidacy of athletic club of Bilbao’s Inaki Arechabaleta due Marcelo Bielsa as a protagonist: if he had been chosen, he would have led the Crazy as technical director. He was one of the three candidates, the others …Ricardo Barkala Y Jon Uriarte-, they had another name to replace the DT Marcelino Cabral: Ernesto Valverde will be the next coach.

But Arechabaleta I don’t win. The next president will be Uriarte, who swept away the elections and won 23 of the 24 tables available for voting, despite the fact that during the campaign the Mexican Carlos Aviña, who would be its sports CEO, published homophobic publications written a few years ago. does. one of each.

The elections saw the participation of 22,689 members, a record figure in the last ten in the history of the red and white entity. The majority relied on entrepreneur Jon Uriarte, creator of the Ticketbis company, which he sold to Ebay for 180 million dollars.

The club has not yet officially announced the election results, but Uriarte prevailed with 46 percent of the vote, followed by Arechabaleta with 33. The candidate with the least consensus was Barkala, who got 20 percent of the vote. The remaining 1, empty or disputed.

Once confirmed, Uriarte will announce Valverde as coach and will have to confirm the continuity of some players who currently make up the squad.

Sticks for the mad

Bielsa, who led the Bilbao club from 2011 to 2013, led the team to the Copa del Rey and Europa League finals, although he didn’t win in any of them.

Before the elections, Uriarte had lashed out against Bielsa. “He is the typical person who makes big claims that I’ve seen 1,500 games from 1983 up to Prebenjamín C,” he said before comparing him to his technical directorial candidate.

“Ernesto (Valverde) is not of that style. I think he is a much humbler and much more genuine person, one of those who do things and don’t have to tell and show them at the gallery”, he distinguished.

“I don’t think (Bielsa) is the right person for Athletic today. His phase is over. Athletic needs different people, people who do not generate conflict and who join a club thinking not so much about short-term performance, but rather who think that Athletic is an institution that has to live another 125 years and that we they have to have that long-term vision, ”Uriarte considered.

Valverde, former Barcelona manager, will also return to the Basque club and next will be his third term. When he does, it will be his return following his departure from Barça in January 2020.