Real Madrid accused of operating events illegally over two decades – club issues statement | OneFootball

Real Madrid have been accused of operating without the relevant municipal licenses to host events, football matches and concerts, something the club have strongly denied.

The ‘Neighbourhood Association of those damaged by the Bernabeu‘, who are fighting the hosting of concerts at the renovated stadium due to noise pollution, claimed that Los Blancos have been operating without an events licence, as their previous one expired in 2001. Sport explain their claims are that since 2019, when work started on the Bernabeu renovations, the Council have not given Real Madrid a permit to operate activities such as concerts, verifying the correct conditions in terms of security, the environment and health are in place.

Their contention is that the Council granted Real Madrid permission to host concerts without those checks having taken place. However Real Madrid did not take long to deny this information as ‘categorically false’, and even accused the association of deliberately and maliciously putting those claims into the public domain.

They are not taking legal action thus far, but say that the permits referenced by the Association are not necessary for Real Madrid to host football matches or concerts.

The matter is currently part of a court case against Real Madrid, while a separate case is ongoing against ‘Real Madrid Estadio’, a subsidiary of the club, over an underground car park that would have direct access to the stadium. The sister company have secured the lease on the parking lot, which is projected to bring in over half a billion euros over the next four decades, but construction has been halted by a judge.

Full Statement Below:

Real Madrid C. F., in view of the dissemination of categorically false information by the ‘Asociación Vecinal de Perjudicados por el Bernabéu’ (Neighbourhood Association of People Affected by the Bernabéu), in the context of Preliminary Proceedings 2034/2024 of Madrid Court of Instruction no. 53, and published by various media outlets, would like to state the following:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.