Ernesto Valverde has maintained that Athletic Bilbao’s performance on the pitch will not be affected by the upcoming presidential elections.
The announcement will be made on March 27, with current patron Josu Urrutia facing no opposition as of yet, despite murmurs from club members, but the Coach does not expect his side's sporting progress to be curtailed in the meantime.
"Let's settle the matter first, then we’ll talk more about it. I know it’s going to be a recurring theme in the coming weeks,” he said ahead of Athletic’s trip to Deportivo La Coruna in La Liga this evening.
“I have previous experience [of working amidst presidential elections] and I know it can’t be understated because there's always questions.
“However, institutional issues are reserved for the President and directors. I’ll only discuss sporting matters.
“Then there’s the future of every Coach or player, in which case everyone has to answer for themselves.
“I don’t think it’ll affect Athletic’s performance because the club are clearly stable. Hopefully we place ourselves well in all three competitions, although it will be a difficult task.
“Of course people will be happier if we do well.”