Basque Football Federation Reactivates Bid for International Official Status with FIFA and UEFA

Basque Football Federation Renews Push for Global Stardom

The Basque Football Federation has officially restarted its formal push for international recognition to allow its regional teams to compete on the global stage.

Led by federation president Iker Goñi, the entity known as the EFF-FVF has approached the Spanish Sports Council and notified the Royal Spanish Football Federation about the initiative. Taking advantage of the Euskadi-Venezuela friendly match scheduled in San Mamés for this Saturday the 14th, the Basque Football Federation decided to reactivate this process, aiming for official international status across all categories for both men’s and women’s regional squads.

To substantiate its request, the federation will provide historical and social documents documenting the roots of football practice, the role of clubs, the trajectory of its selections, and its social and institutional dimension, stating that Basque football gathers a historical trajectory and social implantation that justify this request.

The strategy centers on Article 48.2 of Spain’s 2022 Sports Law, specifically designated as Law 39/2022 of December 30, on Sport. This legislation permits regional sports bodies to compete internationally under two strict conditions: the corresponding international federation must agree, and the sport must hold deep historical and social roots in the region.

Building on the 2018 General Assembly Resolution

This renewed effort builds directly upon a resolution passed by the federation’s general assembly on December 12, 2018. That mandate established the concrete goal of seeking direct integration into FIFA and UEFA, which would open the door to playing in European Championships and World Cups, and competing on equal terms against Spain.

Supporters of the initiative point to Basque pelota as a precedent under the same sports law provision, where regional squads previously competed against Spain in international play, including competing against each other on several occasions in the World Cup of Argentina and Uruguay and disputing the first position of the medal table until the last day, which fell on the Spanish side. However, substantial differences separate the sports.

The Basque pelota federation operated independently from the national body and did not belong to the Spanish federation, whereas the Basque Football Federation sits squarely under the organizational umbrella of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, meaning there is no possibility to act outside of it before international bodies, and even if the Sports Council turned a blind eye as in the pelota case, there would be no possibility of football independence without an agreement with the Royal Spanish Football Federation.

FIFA and UEFA Statutes Require Sovereign State Recognition

Both FIFA and UEFA statutes present severe barriers to regional independence. Their rules explicitly require member associations to represent sovereign states recognized by the United Nations.

UEFA’s statutes in Article 5 reflect that membership is open to national football associations located in Europe, based in a country recognized as an independent state by the majority of United Nations members and responsible for organizing and implementing football-related matters in their country’s territory, which does not happen in the case of the Basque federation, alongside FIFA’s statute stipulations.

The reality of these roadblocks became clear in December 2020. Representatives declined to receive them, labeling the bid unachievable, while the Royal Spanish Football Federation spoke of an unrealizable situation with no further progress made.

Basque Government Commits to Supporting Regional Squad Internationalization

The Basque Government’s legislative program for 2024 through 2028 explicitly commits to supporting regional squads seeking international official status within the framework agreed upon with the Spanish government, specifically listed under commitment 57 for the internationalization of national selections.

Moving forward, the football federation maintains that it wants to pursue a path of dialogue and negotiation with sports authorities, the Sports Council, the Royal Spanish Football Federation, and other involved bodies to find compatible agreements that respect local sporting traditions, the legal order, international football regulations, and the will of Basque football athletes and bodies.