Julio Salinas criticises Uriarte as Athletic scrap complimentary tickets amid Nico Williams salary debate | OneFootball

Julio Salinas has criticised Jon Uriarte’s decision to end complimentary tickets for employees, former players, former presidents and the first-team squad, arguing it strikes at the heart of Athletic.

According to El Correo, the former Athletic striker believes any income from selling those seats would be minimal, putting it at about 300,000 euros a year if every ticket is sold.

He linked the move to wider budget pressures, citing the renewal of Nico Williams and the absence from European competition, and warned that paying a player 20 million euros gross would distort the wage bill and other renewals.

Salinas urged the board to cut elsewhere, defending club staff who keep pitches, medical services and kit rooms running, and the veterans who had entered San Mamés on invitations. He called the decision very serious, said the Athletic family is indignant, and posted his remarks on Instagram.

Reversing the policy is considered unlikely, though Uriarte is set to meet first-team players soon to discuss this and other issues that displeased the dressing room and led to a historic media boycott at Camp Nou, which will bring a financial sanction.

Club great Dani Ruiz Bazán has also expressed strong discontent in a recent interview, saying veterans feel general unease, that no previous president had done this, and that Athletic’s history should not be altered by senseless measures.

Source: El Correo

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