Featured image credit: Real Madrid
Real Madrid and Madrid City Council have strenuously denied claims that the Spanish LaLiga football club is operating the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu without a valid licence.
Both parties have spoken out against “categorically false information” presented by the Asociación Vecinal de Perjudicados por el Bernabéu (Neighbourhood Association of People Affected by the Bernabéu) in Spanish media reports.
The residents’ group has filed an appeal to a Madrid court accusing Real of presenting the Comunidad de Madrid with a licence dated 2001, now expired, in order to secure the necessary approvals to host concerts at the Bernabéu this summer.
The latest claim comes after the same group recently had a complaint accepted by the same court against the Real Madrid Estadio company and the club’s general manager, José Ángel Sánchez Periáñez, for an environmental crime due to the stadium exceeding the noise limits permitted by law. Testimonies in this case are due to be heard on October 24.
Real was last month forced to reschedule upcoming concerts at the Bernabéu to comply with local noise pollution regulations. The club said that compliance with municipal regulations has been affected despite soundproofing work that has been carried out at the stadium.
Real had been hosting more concerts at the Bernabéu after the stadium underwent a huge transformation project, which included the installation of a retractable roof and a multi-purpose pitch. Taylor Swift performed two sold-out gigs at the stadium in May, while Karol G and Luis Miguel also held shows at the stadium over the summer.
Locals have complained that the noise levels at the Bernabéu are in breach of city rules and claimed that the stadium is not properly soundproofed.
Responding to the latest news, the Department of Urban Planning, Environment and Mobility of Madrid City Council confirmed to ABC that the Bernabéu has a valid licence, adding that “various operating licenses have been granted following the successive works and extensions that have been carried out”.
The Council added that the last operating licence that the Bernabéu was granted dates back to August 10, 2017. It stated that through the various stadium redevelopment stages, the 2017 licence was updated to take into account the latest changes to the venue.
Real Madrid said in a statement: “Real Madrid has, and has always had, the corresponding municipal licence for activity and operation, which fully covers the holding of sporting events at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium. Furthermore, it is absolutely untrue that Real Madrid carries out or has carried out its sporting activity under an expired licence, nor is it true that this licence has been used by third parties misleadingly before any public administration.
“The concerts that have been held at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium do not require the granting of a municipal licence, but rather the granting of an administrative authorisation which, where appropriate, is granted to the music promoters of each event by the Public Entertainment and Recreational Activities Area of the Comunidad de Madrid, in accordance with Law 17/1997, of 4 July, on Public Entertainment and Recreational Activities of the Comunidad de Madrid. All the concerts held at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium have been granted such authorisation by the Comunidad de Madrid to the individual organisers of each event.
“Real Madrid works actively, together with the Comunidad de Madrid and the Madrid City Council, for sustainability and coexistence so that the activities at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium are carried out with full respect, not only for the law but also for the environment and the neighbourhood.
“The club regrets that the ‘Asociación Vecinal de Perjudicados por el Bernabéu’, in addition to showing itself to be outside of Real Madrid’s efforts to guarantee the interests of this group, maliciously and knowingly conveys to the jurisdictional bodies and to public opinion, information that is categorically contrary to the truth.”
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