Madrid, Sep 10 (IANS) Athletic Club Bilbao have become the third Spanish football club to offer their help to refugees from the ongoing conflict in Syria and Iraq.
The Basque club confirmed on its website that it has informed the Basque regional government of its desire to collaborate with the institutions in the process of taking in refugees who are currently streaming into Europe, reports Xinhua.
The club has said it is willing to help in the actions, which will be clarified in the coming days once it is known just how many refugees Spain will accept and where they will be distributed in the country.
It is expected the EU will ask Spain to take in around 15,000 refugees, although the Spanish government insists they need to know the profiles of those who will come to Spain in order to best accommodate them.
Athletic follow Real Madrid and Eibar in offering help to refugees coming to Spain. Real Madrid last week issued a statement saying the club will donate one million euros ($1.12 million) to help refugees sent to Spain, while Eibar, the smallest club in La Liga, will donate five euros ($5.60) for every ticket sold during their home game against Atletico Madrid on September 19.
Football clubs in other countries are also showing solidarity to the cause with Paris Saint-Germain also donating a million euros, while fans showed banners with the message ‘Welcome Refugees’ in several grounds in Germany, where Borussia Dortmund invited 220 Syrians to watch their game against Bayern Munich.
