It surprised many to discover that Aitor Esteban, spokesman for the PNV in Congress, in addition to being a professor of Constitutional and Administrative Law, had taught classes on Indigenous History and Culture of North and Mesoamerica, so it should not be so shocking that the parliamentarian with whom we chroniclers measure the temperature of the Chamber –if the majority of the investiture has a fever or the state right wing is sweaty delirious, it can be tested in the tone and metaphors– whether he is a fan of rugby, a sport that he practiced as a young man and of which he is still a follower today .
Why rugby?
For my father. I am from 62, and in the dictatorship there was what there was, in terms of sports and leisure offer. My father has always been very pro-British and he liked rugby a lot. He took me to see the games as a child, and over the years I signed up for the team.
Anglophilia is very Bilbao, like the Frenchization of San Sebastián.
Yes, it is true, note that the British maintain the consulate in Bilbao and it is quite active. All this comes from historical business relationships.
Looking at his federated photo, don't be offended, he doesn't seem to fit the archetype of the beefy player.
People have the idea that all rugby players have to be big boys, and that's not the case. I didn't play up front, I played in the three quarters, on the wing, I didn't get into the scrums. It was one of the quickies. It is true that if you look now at the people who play, they are more and more athletic; but there was hardly any professionalism then, even in the British Isles. I remember when I watched the games of the then Five Nations tournament in black and white, when they explained the line-up, some were butchers, or mechanics, miners..., then they became more professional.
Did you play for the Bilbao Rugby Club?
I'm still a member. When I started I was less than youthful, and I left it when I was 21 or so, because political activity and university were very complicated for me. I didn't have enough time. We played in local leagues, but you qualified for the Cup. I remember a Cup in which we beat Independiente de Santander and we played against Unió Esportiva Santboiana. We won the first game, 4-0, I think, thanks to the field factor.
The hobby?
No, the mud. Our field had more mud than grass. With telling you that one of my colleagues lost a boot and we never found it. Back then there was no artificial grass, ours was grass, but three or four teams used it. So on rainy days it was chocolate. On the way back, we slept in Barcelona, and what is typical of young kids who leave home: three of us stayed to sleep, the rest went on a spree and arrived late at night. So we held out for ten minutes of the match, then they ran over us. It was 49-0 or something like that.
Were you good?
Well go. He was myopic and had a problem with high balls.
Yes, this happened to me in the goal. The shots from a distance...
In the end, by intuition, you ended up hunting some. At that time, a boy from a humble family like me could not even think of asking for contact lenses at home.
What did you learn from rugby?
It is a sport in which you can be hurt a lot, but people do not go with bad intentions. The spirit is different, perhaps because competition exists, but it wasn't that great. A team is a group where you meet people and make friends, because games are just as important as the third half.
Do you follow the sport? Do you watch the Six Nations tournament?
I still go, although not much. From time to time my colleagues contact me and I go. I do follow the Six Nations, and the Aviron de Baiona, because I have acquaintances who have played there. I follow the French league a lot and the European competitions. Three or four years ago, the finals were in San Mamés and the truth is that they were held with great success and without an incident. It is striking that it did not cause public order problems like football. I am not the only Member who likes rugby. Years ago, the former PSC deputy Àlex Sáez and I went together to see the European final in London. I know that Isidro Martínez Oblanca is also a fan.
Rugby is tough, but more courteous than it seems. Was politics like this before?
In rugby the key to winning is to make as few fouls as possible. Because it depends on where you do it, it is possible that you get a ball between the sticks, and also you should not protest to the referee because they throw you ten meters back. In politics, mistakes are made as if there were no risk. I don't know if it was cleaner before or not, there were faults, but they seemed like an accident. Now it is seen that some go directly to provoke the fault, to insult. They go out to the field to make them. Let's see, being fair, in rugby I have seen everything, I have seen some leave the field with a bite.
Do you think that a rude or courteous end of the legislature awaits us?
I believe that everything is going to be complicated by two circumstances that we all have in mind. It is going to be a very difficult winter economically, with pressures of all kinds, and we have fundamental elections in the spring in which a lot of institutions are at stake. And many threads are going to be torn there. I not only see it in the coalition and within United We Can, but in all of them, the Catalans are going to find themselves in difficulties. The bad thing is that things have to be done with foresight and I see the Government, as I said in the debate, improvising a lot.
Well, that's it.
Oh, and my favorite team is Wales.
