ANDl Athletic wants close the renewal of Marcelino before the elections. President Aitor Elizegi is about to tie the continuity of the coach, of whom last week on RADIO MARCA BILBAO he said that “He is falling in love with Athletic, which is usually the starting point for a coach to make a career at a club”. Marcelino arrived at Athletic on January 3, 2021, signing the remainder of that season plus the 21-22 season. From then on, the scenario was complicated because this campaign will end in elections to be held between May and June and for which there are still no confirmed candidates. The Coach position, of course, is always an electoral pennant.
The Asturian, who is very comfortable in Lezama, knows what the matter is about. He has not asked the Board of Directors for gestures or decisions, but he has found that the Elizegi government team wants him more years on the San Mamés bench … although after the elections they don’t have insurance to stay in the box.
The last Athletic coaches
- Marcelo Bielsa (2011-13) 113 games
- Ernesto Valverde (2013-17) 214 games
- Kuko Ziganda (2017-18) 56 games
- Eduardo Berizzo (2018-December 2018) 15 games
- Gaizka Garitano (2018- January 2021) 89 games
- Marcelino (January 2021) 44 games
Elizegi’s board of directors intends to renew Marcelino for one or two seasons. And the plan has to date, since the intention is that the agreement has the January limit to advertiseIf the two parties agree on the club, they consider that they would have no problem in renewing the coach. Otherwise, Marcelino would arrive in January free of commitments and could begin to manage his future.
The electoral toll
The equation has its complexity because with some choices on the horizon there are sharp edges. What if Elizegi does not run for reelection? What if he does and is defeated at the polls? The presidential race, without counting what Elizegi or one of its directors may decide, will have at least two other candidates, who work to shape their respective electoral programs and set the main profiles of the candidates.
For Marcelino it would be ideal for the main candidates to consider him the desired coach, which was what happened when García Macua and Ercoreca competed in the elections in 2007 although starting from the base that Caparrós would be his technician.
The quorum of candidates on the bench would remain a problem if the management of the club is in the hands of one of the new candidates. Such tuning does not seem to be possible around the sports director. Rafa Alkorta ends his contract in June 2022 and Elizegi, for now, does not contemplate addressing his renewal as it is a managerial position. The still pre-candidates for the presidency draw an organization chart with new faces around the club’s address.
Candidates and results in the last four elections
- Friday September 10, 2004
- Fernando Lamikiz: 8,234 votes (55.50%)
- Juan Pedro Guzmán: 3,852 votes (25.90%)
- José Alberto Pradera: 1,817 votes (12.40%)
- Thursday 12 July 2007
- Fernando García Macua: 6,888 votes (39.90%)
- Juan Carlos Ercoreca: 6,138 votes (35.40%)
- Javier González: 2,034 votes (11.80%)
- Thursday 7 July 2011
- Josu Urrutia: 12,057 votes (54.36%)
- Fernando García Macua: 9,796 votes (44.17%)
- Thursday, December 27, 2018
- Aitor Elizegi: 9,264 (47.9%)
- Alberto Uribe-Echevarría: 9,179 (47.4%)
