Sunday was an incredibly joyous occasion for Spain, as they defeated England 2-1 in the final of Euro 2024. It was particularly special for Mikel Oyarzabal, as his goal in the 86th minute proved to be the difference between the two teams in Berlin. However, not everyone was happy about the 27-year-old scoring.
As reported by Marca, in Oyarzabal’s mother’s hometown of Elorrio in the the province of Biscay, Basque Country, a banner was put up targeting him and his Real Sociedad teammate Mikel Merino, who was also part of Spain’s Euro 2024-winning side. The pair were branded as “traitors”, with the banner also stated “no to the acceptance of the Spanish national team“. At this stage, it’s not known who is responsible for the banner.
Many people in the Basque region do not identity themselves as Spanish, and there would have been plenty that would not have celebrated La Roja’s fourth European Championship title. Oyarzabal and Merino’s celebrations on Sunday clearly did not sit right with some of them.
