[Suggestion] - Modify Athletic Club Bilbao transfer rules.

[Ricotero_uy]

Since early 2000s (I've been playing since 1995) the series has included the rule for Athletic transfer philosophy. It's a great feature the game has since then. But I think it would be modified to meet the real life conditions.

The first what come to people's mind when Athletic Club Bilbao is mentioned is that only basque players can be signed. Wrong!

People may consider that players with basque parents or grandparents can play too. Wrong!

Athletic's conditions to sign players are:

1) Player born in any of the seven basque territories (Alava, Biscay, Guipuzkoa and Navarre in Spain and Labourd, Lower Navarre and Soule in France).

2) Player developed in the youth system of any club in any of the seven basque territories.

Now FM allows Athletic to sign any basque player (second nationality) and 15-16yo spanish players.

Athletic has in the first team two players that didn't born in the Basque Country. Aymeric Laporte (Agen, France) and Enric Saborit (Barcelona, Catalunya)
Laporte was scouted by Athletic and signed by affiliated team in Bayonne. Then when FIFA rules allowed, brought him to Bilbao. Saborit was an Espanyol player and was signed when he was 16yo because his mother was basque. I really don't know if that was the reason or they just moved to the Basque Country.

In the youth system, in the FM database we could see players from Cameroon who had triple nationality, spanish & basque so they are allowed to play for Athletic first and youth teams.

The idea would be that FM could recognize all of the Basque teams (basque french teams too), and also allow players from all the world that are developed in a Basque team, to gain the basque nationality and be able to be signed for Athletic.

Thank you!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basque_Country_(greater_region)

http://www.athletic-club.eus/en/players/2006/laporte.html

http://www.athletic-club.eus/en/players/1808/saborit.html

http://www.athletic-club.eus/en/players/2549/otxoa.html

http://www.athletic-club.eus/en/players/2133/atangana.html

http://www.athletic-club.eus/en/team/2016-17/juniorsb-players.html
 

 

[nasipepes]

good point. will someone from SI consider this suggestion please?

PS: im also a fan of athletic bilbao

[FestyF]

I would also like to suggest one more addition. Bilbao board scrap their 'Basque only' policy at a random time in future in some games. So it could be in the year 2022 for some clubs, 2025 for some and not at all for some. If I'm correct, Real Sociedad also had this policy which they scrapped so you never know. May be Bilbao will do the same IRL?

[Neil Brock]

Reviewed so locked.