Atletico Madrid in talks to become fixed Cup Final hosts
According to Cadena Ser, the club has started negotiations with the Spanish Football Federation over staging the Copa del Rey final at its new ground, the Wanda Metropolitano, on an annual basis.Copa del Rey 2017 last 16 draw: live online
It’s that time of year again in Spain when the heated debate over where the Copa del Rey final should be staged fills the sports news pages.
And this year hasn’t disappointed, with Real Madrid once again under scrutiny for refusing to host the game between Barcelona and Alavés on 27 May at the Bernabéu due to construction works.
It’s an usual scenario, as most countries in this day and age have their own national stadium dedicated to hosting such events, as well as the national side’s home games, like Wembley in London or Paris’s Stade de France
Finally an answer to the annual cup final merry-go-round?
However, in Spain that is not the case, hence this perennial problem. But now there may finally be an answer!
According to Cadena Ser, Atletico Madrid, whose Estadio Vicente Calderón is in strong contention to host this season’s cup final, are now in talks with the president of the Spanish Football Federation, Angel Maria Villar, over becoming the regular host of the Copa del Rey at their new ground, the Wanda Metropolitano, which will open this summer.
It is an agreement that the Spanish football authorities will likely be keen to make in order to prevent the administrative and organisational headache that the no-fixed stadia situation throws up annually. A deal would also be a potential money-spinner for the Rojiblanco club.
A no-brainer then, surely? Well, let’s just watch this space.