Yesterday, four representatives of the Athletic Club Foundation, coaches Igor Arenaza and Eli Ibarra, and footballers Hodei Barandalla and Iratxe Lobato, received the annual award on behalf of the entire Genuine team, presented by the “Somos Diferentes” Peña to the people or groups that best represent the Athletic Club values and philosophy. The chairman of Athletic, Aitor Elizegi, and the Foundation’s general manager, Jon Vázquez Eguskiza, joined the Genuine representatives at Ibaigane for a simple award ceremony which, although affected by the health protocol, was very emotional for the winners.
The “Peña Bilbaina Somos Diferentes” supportes club (Peña), which is made up of Athletic supporters based in Madrid, became the first zurigorri Peña to officially join the Foundation last season. This award to the Genuine team also represents further recognition of the social, cultural, environmental, sports and training projects carried out by the Athletic Club Foundation. In the words of Sergio Arana, a founding member of “Somos Diferentes”, “the entire Genuine team deserves a place alongside Gurpegui, Guerrero, De Marcos and Iraola because it perfectly represents the values with which any Athletic supporter can identify”.
It should also be noted that “Somos Diferentes” has an online shop on its website https://20somosdiferentes.com/ where it sells a wide range of products with its own designs, the proceeds of which go to the Foundation.