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By Jon Clarke in Bilbao
When the skies opened at 5am Thursday morning in the central Bilbao Plaza Moyua, I was not the only fan cursing this city.
But while the rain was predictable – as well as a long wait for a taxi – what wasn’t was the result of the all-English Europa League final in the northern Spanish Basque city: a 1-0 win to Tottenham Hotspur.
The first European trophy in 41 years was the ultimate vindication for one the most maligned coaches of recent football history.
Holding out until the final whistle after a second half with just one shot and two breathtaking clearances off the line – one by Micky Van de Ven that beggared belief for its athleticism – brought the only joy the Lillywhites have had in a wretched domestic season.
What joy!
Since the 1991 FA Cup win over Nottingham Forest when I was studying at Manchester University, I’ve been a Spurs supporter for more than half a century. My father, like most football fans around the world, has brought me into this world of magic.
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Gazza’s screaming free-kick at Wembley knocked Arsenal off the cup. I was bouncing up and down in a Manchester club around 2.30am, before going black.
It wasn’t that different this time. To say that we celebrated in style is an understatement.
It was largely due to the fact that bars and clubs in Bilbao stayed open until Thursday morning. Second, we owe it to the generous Reds fans, who were gracious enough to shake our hands, drink with us, and even drown their sorrows by jumping up and dancing with us, singing This Charming Man, by The Smiths. Guys, I will not forget you!
Finally, the Basque People. From the very beginning, they displayed an amazing sense of friendship and humour.
Mostly siding with Spurs, having been duffed up by the Reds 3-0 in a depressing, ‘unfair’ semi-final just three weeks ago, they mingled with the fans at both the fan zone and later in the streets after the game.
Inigos (classic Basque name) took us by the hand and guided us through the coolest bars in the city until 4am when we arrived at the taxi stand at the centre of town.
We needed a taxi because the last bus was at 10pm, and the first wasn’t until 07.00am.
The queue was 150 deep and we realized that the situation was getting sticky.
We decided then to try and take a taxi at one of the five star hotels in the town.
There were 200 fans in the hotel’s foyer, occupying every open space.
“It appears that homelessness in the city increased by ten in just one evening,” said my son.
The situation was not funny. Some people were in a bad mood, while others had a hard time staying warm. But most of them were just resigned to waiting for buses or trains to begin running at 6.30am.
I decided to record the scene. The manager asked me to leave and threatened the police. They arrived about five minutes after.
They were very understanding, as were all the other police officers we spoke to in the past two days.
Un inspector told me, “There is no doubt that there has been a failure. I do not know why buses are not running through the night.” You’d have to ask at the town hall.
Richie McIntyre & Daniel Levy
The hotel Carlton was the first place we tried. We were surprised to see the whole Tottenham team with their entourage staying there and celebrating the win.
Richarlison the Brazilian striker was standing outside the door, blocking our way in.
READ MORE: WATCH Thousands of English Football Fans Live it Up in Bilbao at the Europa League Final
As a fan favourite, he immediately made his way to a group of small fans, signing autographs and posing for selfies. I was included in one.
I asked him some nonsensical and he grunted a few times. Please don’t ask what he said. No idea. I don’t know.
Michael McIntyre’s sons were spotted through the door. Daniel Levy the unpopular Tottenham owner was also seen walking out. The two headed straight for a limo.
The fans were not aware that he was wearing the colours.
I finally decided that I did not want to confront the man about his lack investment in the club during the last 20 years and why he refused to sell. He has a week of grace.
Basque boost
Bilbao, and the Basque region surrounding it, has had a truly incredible week.
The midweek occupancy rate for May was a record in every town or village within an hours.
In the surf villages of Bermeo & Mundaka, football fans dined, drank, and sang until the early hours of the morning, injecting a healthy amount of cash into the local economy.
According to Santander authorities, there were at least 3,000 fans who stayed in San Sebastian, and even more in Cantabria.
In 24 hours, 282 flights took flight or landed in Bilbao. It was impossible to estimate how many people were there. Many came from Calais or other airports throughout Spain, Portugal, and France.
Nigel, an Elstree property developer from North London, told me that he and seven members of his family had hired a van to travel with him to Madrid.
He explained, “I have my wife, three daughters and two of them brought their boyfriends. So it has been expensive.”
My family enjoys trips such as this.
His journey was one of the smoother ones, thanks to his job, with two fans I met at my hotel having driven 18 hours ‘straight’ to arrive at 5am the day of the match.
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Many of the Spurs fans that I met were from Spain. Trevor and his son Matt came from Menorca. Paul, meanwhile, was from Torrevieja with his Ukrainian-speaking wife.
The BBC reported that one United fan had ‘taken a 2,500 mile journey via Dublin, Paris and Rome’, while one another cycled from Valencia, 100 kms per day.
It was nerve-wracking to ensure that Alfie could play in the match, and still manage to take a history A level at noon on Wednesday, in Marbella.
Having travelled around Europe with Spurs half a dozen times over the last few years – including a rain-soaked trip to Budapest and two ugly losses in Lisbon and the San Siro – I couldn’t leave him watching it in a pub.
Having to carefully bide my time with tickets, with prices fluctuating from €300 to €2000 depending on the day and website (I got very close to the lower end thankfully), I managed to get him a cheap direct flight last minute at 5pm from Malaga.
It meant he would arrive – if all went well and he didn’t forget his passport – just before 7pm at Bilbao airport and not only was it on time, but the two women next to him were Reds fans who offered him a lift in their taxi.
It would be an understatement to say that I was thrilled to see him just before the game at 7.45pm.
The rest of the event was well-organised and I went to the large fan zone. It had a great variety of food stalls and bars, and most importantly, lots of toilets.
I managed to meet a few friends (it wasn’t easy trying to find them in a sea up to 50,000 supporters) where we watched celebrities like McIntyre and celebrity fans such as Ledley Roberts, Ossie Adiles, Graham Roberts on stage.
The game also featured Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes and Rory McIlroy.
Vandelism
The mayor of the city, Juan Mari Aburto, made light of the fact that two traffic lights got broken in the ‘euphoria of celebration and alcohol’ when the impact to the economy was enormous.
On Tuesday night, I was at the same street intersection as the fans who had climbed up to the lights.
Three vans of nearby riot police handled the situation brilliantly by observing the situation and mostly smiling.
Mayor Aburto insisted, “We have the joy of the football fans and a wonderful atmosphere.” “I want to also praise the excellent conduct of our own locals who have left a good image for Bilbao.”
His message was backed up by UEFA director, Martin Kallen, who praised the level of organisation, describing it as ‘top level’. “The cleaning, security and fan meeting areas were the best that I have ever seen,” he stated.
He praised airport transportation and mobility, but he had not been trying to reach a village or town outside of the city by midnight.
READ MORE: Police celebrate ‘few incidents’ and just eight arrests after 60,000 British football fans arrived in Spain
We waited in the pouring down rain for 90 minutes, stopping to take shelter at intervals.
I have nothing to complain about, thanks to my local knowledge.
Oh what a night, Tottenham winning on a Wednesday night, you’re staying in because your f****** shite.
The majority of football fans know exactly who this is aimed at. Arteta comes from San Sebastian, and is Basque.
