The Royal Football Federation of Madrid presented a 'mega sports village' in Pozuelo de Alarcón at its Assembly, but the City Council firmly denies it and claims the project is not viable.
The dream of the Royal Football Federation of Madrid (RFFM) to build a large sports city in Pozuelo de Alarcón has hit a municipal wall. Hours after its president, Paco Díez, announced the project at the General Assembly on June 22, the local City Council has come forward to deny any agreement.
“It is absolutely false that this City Council has reached any agreement or commitment with the RFFM or anyone else,” sources from the City Council assert. The denial is categorical: not even the slightest commitment existed, despite the Federation talking about “something very big” and “fantastic management.”
A pharaonic project without municipal viability
The plan presented by Díez included a natural grass stadium for 3,000 spectators, five artificial grass pitches, a gym, parking, a café, a social headquarters, a restaurant, and an auditorium. A complex that, according to the president, would be “a true beauty for football in the Community of Madrid.”
However, municipal technicians had already analysed the proposal months earlier. “Once all the documentation was studied, the City Council informed the RFFM that the project, in those terms, is not viable,” explain sources from the City Council. The same source adds that the initiative “exceeds the capacity and possibilities” of the municipality.
One of the main obstacles is the lack of a fee for the concession. According to municipal sources, the Federation intended to occupy public land without any economic compensation, something unacceptable for a City Council that, like others, receives dozens of similar proposals each year. “Most, like in this case, do not come to fruition,” they point out.
Technical meetings and misunderstandings
The RFFM approached the City Council at the beginning of the year to propose the idea. Since then, there have been technical contacts, exchanges of emails and calls, but never a formal agreement. “They must have been the essentials,” they ironise from the City Council, making it clear that the dialogue did not go beyond mere information.
Furthermore, the project included activities that, according to the technicians, “do not bear much relation to the object of a hypothetical sports concession.” The restaurant, auditorium, or café seemed more suited to a shopping centre than to a federative facility, which increased doubts about its urban fit.
For the residents of Pozuelo, the news comes as a relief. The construction of such a large complex would have meant months of works, noise, and heavy traffic in a residential area. “Thank goodness they stopped it,” commented a resident from the main street of the municipality. For now, the only major sports news in the area remains the municipal football pitch, which already hosts lower category matches.
The Federation, for its part, has not issued an official statement following the denial. Meanwhile, the City Council reminds that “in the terms in which this specific project is proposed, this City Council does not consider it possible.” A response that closes the door on a mega village that, at least in Pozuelo, never took off.
You may also like
