Matarazzo praises the courage of Real and Athletic for displaying the ikurriña in 1976: "What a powerful statement"

Matarazzo praised the 1976 courage of Iribar and Kortabarria displaying the ikurriña when it was banned, ahead of Sunday's 50th-anniversary Basque derby tribute.

Real Sociedad manager Pellegrino Matarazzo expressed deep admiration for the historic moment in 1976 when players Iribar and Kortabarria carried the ikurriña (Basque flag) onto the pitch at Atotxa during a derby, when both the flag and Basque language were prohibited under Franco's regime.

"It was a powerful moment," Matarazzo told the press. "I think it's important to recognize the courage that Kortabarria and Iribar had to carry the ikurriña onto the field at a time when it was forbidden to speak Euskera, to show the ikurriña. Carrying it meant and showed unity and pride." He noted that the act likely helped lead to the ikurriña eventually becoming legal.

The gesture will be commemorated this Sunday as Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao meet in the Basque derby, 50 years after the original act of defiance. Matarazzo, who has been settling into life in Donostia and Basque culture, called it the "most special" derby he has experienced, citing the deep feeling of unity between the two clubs and the broader Basque region.