Athletic Club release statement defending Barca-bound Nico Williams after fans destroyed his mural

Athletic Club have released a statement denouncing the actions of the individual(s) in their fanbase responsible for vandalising Nico Williams’ mural in the city. 

Williams has reportedly reached an agreement on personal terms with Barcelona, as he is intent on switching to the Blaugrana this summer. 

His decision has triggered angry reactions from fans of the Lions, one or some of whom removed Nico from a mural that depicted the Williams brothers and Iker Munian with the Copa del Rey trophy, which they won in the 2022/23 season. 

The vandal(s) replaced Nico Williams’ painting with a statement that read, “You leave or you stay; you have lost respect.”

The older Williams brother, Inaki, took to social media to react to the reprehensible act, saying, “Behind an anonymous display of disrespect, there is always someone so insignificant that they don't have the courage to show their own face.”

While Athletic have proved difficult in negotiations with Barcelona over the sale of Williams, as they insist the Blaugrana pay the full release clause upfront, they rejected the perpetrators.

“The dignity of a club is also reflected in the way it protects its own people. That is why those who have erased Nico's image from artist Carlos López's mural in Barakaldo do not represent Athletic. And if they think they are part of this family, they should know that they are wrong: to disrespect one of our own is to disrespect Athletic itself,” an excerpt from the statement read.

They also said they had contacted the artist to restore what had been destroyed. Barcelona remain intent on completing the deal for Williams and are reportedly waiting for next month, the the current account season would have been over, to trigger the deal.