Fernando Lamikiz Garai

Fernando Lamikiz Garai (born 1959 in Guernica, Biscay, Basque Country, Spain) is a lawyer, economist and former president of Athletic Bilbao. Lamikiz studied economic law at the Deusto University. After further studying in Munich, he returned to Deusto as a lecturer in Civil Rights. He was member of the board of directors of Athletic from 1994 to 2001, heading the legal department.

He was president of Athletic from September 2004,[1] until his resignation in September 2006. He stepped down following Athletic's poor performance in the 2005-06 La Liga season and uninspired beginning of the 2006–07 season, combined with prolonged negative press surrounding his involvement in the illegal attempt to sign defender Iban Zubiaurre from rivals Real Sociedad.[2][3] His resignation, widely believed to have come as the result of sustained protest by vocal supporters of Athletic, was effected on 27 September 2006.[4] His deputy, Ana Urkijo, took on the role until 2007, becoming the club's first female president.[5]

  1. ^ "Lamikiz, presidente del Athletic" [Lamikiz, Athletic president]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 10 September 2004. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  2. ^ "El Athletic presentó ayer a Zubiaurre y la Real estalla" [Athletic presented Zubiaurre yesterday and Real explodes] (in Spanish). Diario AS. 2 July 2005. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  3. ^ Phil Ball (2 October 2006). "The honest lawyer". ESPN Soccernet. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
  4. ^ "Lamikiz quits as Bilbao president". CNN.com. 27 September 2006. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
  5. ^ "Ana Urkijo, seriedad y firmeza en Ibaigane" [Ana Urkijo, seriousness and firmness in Ibaigane]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 27 September 2006. Retrieved 15 July 2018.