Real Madrid in dispute with neighbours amid claims their stadium is operating without a licence to show FOOTBALL
REAL MADRID have allegedly been holding FOOTBALL matches at the Bernabeu with an expired licence, according to furious residents.
Los Blancos have been locked in ongoing rows with a local group called the ‘Residents’ Association of People Affected by the Bernabeu’ for many years.
The residents group’s latest claim is that both football matches and music concerts have been held at the Bernabeu Stadium without a valid licence.
The association claims that they have found evidence that the current licence expired in 2001, according to Spanish outlet El Confidencial.
It claims that members of the group came across the small print when they requested a copy of the licence during their legal battle with the LaLiga giants.
But Real Madrid adamantly deny all allegations.
A section of angry residents have also claimed that the Bernabeu should only be holding sporting fixtures and the odd “extraordinary event”, according to the the Madrid City Council.
Group spokesperson Jose Manuel Paredes told The Times that “extraordinary events” do not include showing frequent concerts.
The Association’s complaint has reportedly been presented to a judge, according to El Pais.
The group also argue that in order for Madrid to have a valid licence, both the stadium and the exterior development work must be finished – which it is not.
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The Bernabeu has entered the final stages of its £843million, five-year reconstruction.
But the iconic European venue hosted a string of high-profile concerts over the spring and summer.
Recent headliners have included Taylor Swift, Luis Miguel and Colombian star Karol G.
This comes after Madrid were forced to postpone all concerts at the Bernabeu to comply with the capital city’s noise regulations.
The group reportedly requested a copy of the licence on four occasions before receiving a response.
Residents have also lodged complaints about the noise from the ongoing construction which started in 2019.
Angry residents of apartment buildings near the stadium have put up banners on their balconies that read: “NO concerts.”
The stadium has gone from hosting some 35 events per year before the refurbishment to planning more than 300.
A club statement read: “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 Bernabeu 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 Bernabeu do not require the granting of a municipal licence.”
Football matches returned to the Bernabeu in September, after Real Madrid were forced to play at the nearby Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano ground for 18 months.