“Football is a platform to tell our story, a reason to smile,” Ehab Adu Jazar, Palestine’s coach, said in an interview with EL PAÍS. Now the Palestinian people have one more reason to show a little smile in the inhuman situation they find themselves in due to the massacre they are suffering from Israel. San Mamés experienced a historic night in which football became a great gesture of solidarity. Up to 51,396 people filled the stadium to witness the duel between Euskadi and Palestine, a match that transcended sport and transformed Bilbao into a space of support, reclamation and memory for the Palestinian people. Between banners, tributes and an overwhelming minute of silence, the Basque fans transformed the stands into a collective cry for peace and justice. Euskadi won 3-0 with goals from Elgezabal, Guruzeta and Urko Izeta.
Bilbao breathed in the scent of a special day, of a great date atmosphere, of something more than a football match. Groups of fans immediately began to gather with chants, flags and messages of support, in an atmosphere of sporting celebration and social awareness. Beyond the purely football aspect, the day was imbued with a clearly protest tone. Demonstrations and tributes to demonstrate solidarity with the Palestinian people. One of the many emotional moments experienced in Bilbao occurred in front of the Arriaga theater when thousands of people gathered to pay homage to the deceased Palestinian athletes. The Palestinerekin Elkartasuna platform counts 1,300 elite athletes dead, including 894 Olympic athletes.
Once on the pitch the celebration was absolute. More than 50,000 people experienced one of the most special meetings remembered in the stands of San Mamés, demonstrating their support for the Palestinian people, with banners and symbols expressing solidarity, denunciation and commitment. The local fans cheered wildly when the Palestinian players warmed up, but the most emotional moments came a few minutes before the start of the match, when a huge cheer in the colors of the Tricolor was displayed. On one background the fans displayed a banner with the motto Gora Palestine Erresistentzia.
Before the ball started rolling, the team led by Ehab Abu Jazar posed with a Stop Genocide banner, while Euskadi did so with another in favor of officialdom, another of the demands for a day to remember. The Palestine Askatu resounded throughout the stadium with unusual force as the two teams posed together with a message of peace, Bakea Peace, before an impressive minute’s silence in remembrance of all the victims of Gaza.
The San Mamés event will remain imprinted as an example of the power that sport has to build bridges, make injustices visible and unite thousands of people around a common cause. It was a night in which football became a sounding board, a collective embrace and a gesture of humanity towards a people who continue to fight to keep their identity alive.
