No Copa del Rey Final at the Bernabéu [Updated]

Spanish football federation RFEF has made the decision that this year’s Copa del Rey final between Barcelona and Bilbao will not be played at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. It however has not taken a decision yet on where the final will be played, with three stadiums still in contention.

The decision follows a week of controversy during which the Madrid vs Barcelona rivalry flared up again, but this time without any action on the field.

Traditionally the final of the cup is played at the stadium of the previous edition’s winner, in this case Real Madrid, however RFEF never makes a decision until both finalists are known so that the final will be played at a neutral venue with a big enough size.

Estadio Santiago Bernabéu however seemed like the perfect and logical option, as Real Madrid has not made the final, and because it lies at almost equal distance from Bilbao and Barcelona and is big enough to host the sizeable amounts of fans that are expected to attend. Three years ago the same teams played the final at Estadio Mestalla, which is considerably smaller, with the result that thousands of Bilbao fans left outside the stadium without a ticket.

But just as both clubs had stated their preference for the Bernabéu, the announcement of Real Madrid came that the stadium was not available to host the final as building works were scheduled for that week. The real reason, of course, was that Real Madrid did not feel like seeing Barcelona celebrating a Copa win at their stadium. Nor hear both set of fans (from Catalonia and Basque Country) whistle during the Spanish national anthem.

And though both Barcelona and Bilbao requested a final at the Bernabéu, RFEF decided to give in to Madrid, and elect a different stadium.

With Camp Nou ruled out, that only left Estadio Vicente Calderón, Estadio de Mestalla (both a capacity of 55,000), and Estadio La Cartuja in Seville (capacity 60,000) big enough to host the final. What further complicates the decision however, is that Bruce Springsteen is giving a concert at La Cartuja on the 13th of May, and Coldplay one at Vicente Calderón on the 20th of May, and that it won’t be clear what the impact will be on the pitch.

RFEF has stated to make a final decision later this week or early next week, making for another week of speculation, and another week in limbo for the fans eager to make travel arrangements.

Photo: © Flickr user BrainMaY