Colour barrier finally broken at Athletic Bilbao

[Zeppo]

Colour barrier finally broken at Athletic Bilbao

The name Jonas Ramalho probably doesn't mean very much to most football fans, even Spanish ones, but on Wednesday night the Athletic Bilbao defender is expected to make history on several counts.

He's in the Basque team's squad to face Werder Bremen in the Europa League and set to make his European debut filing in for the injured and flu-ridden Spanish international right-back Andoni Iraola.

Each season about 100 players start their first-team careers with Spanish top-flight clubs but what has brought the spotlight specifically on Ramalho is not only that he will be the youngest player to appear for Athletic Bilbao in an official match but that he's black.

(continue)

[Mosiah]

And I guess any spike in banana sales is merely coincidental.

[Peter R]

How can they continue to have a Basque-connection criterion to play for a team in this day and age? Time to move into the 21st century; but I guess we have to remember these people (the Spanish) were the authors of the infamous inquisition.

[1of1]

i wonder if is payback for the moors

[Rudi]

You may be joking but there is a lot of truth in that statement.

[1of1]

wasn't joking just a supposition, cause dem spaniards not look so white like the rest a europe except probably portugal

[1of1]

and black man did run part of italy and spain fi a likkle while

[HL]

One irony is that these black players could 'buy a whole village' of these bigots and have money left over.

Their behavior is simply a manifestation of fear......

God bless Amerka!!
(I said stop the twanging HL)