Real Madrid claim they are not responsible for ensuring noise levels from music concerts staged at the Santiago Bernabeu do not break municipal regulations, as part of an ongoing legal battle with local residents.
Madrid CEO Jose Angel Sanchez appeared in court on Tuesday after residents living around the stadium filed a legal challenge against the club over noise disruption from concerts including Taylor Swift and the Argentine rapper Duki.
In testimony that lasted over two hours, Sanchez and the club’s head of property development argued that the responsibility lies with the promoters of the concerts instead.
Asociacion Vecinal de Perjudicados por el Bernabeu (‘Neighbourhood Association of those harmed by the Bernabeu’), the resident group mounting the challenge against the club, are objecting to the staging of concerts and other non-football events, which have become a crucial revenue stream for the club.
The group also claim Real Madrid have been operating events at the stadium without the proper licence since 2001. A claim the club have categorically denied. The case is ongoing.
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Earlier this year, Madrid announced they would be hosting 21 concerts from April through to December as the club looked to generate revenue to help pay for the renovation of the stadium, which is estimated to have cost €1.76billion, although that sum could eventually increase.
American investment firm Sixth Street, who hold a 30 per cent stake in the club’s stadium operations, were not mentioned in court statements on Tuesday and are not involved in the trial at this stage.
Residents in the Chamartin area where the stadium is situated claimed city noise level regulations were broken at every concert throughout the summer, with music being played well midnight. As well as excessive noise, residents claimed fans were seen urinating and vomiting in doorways.
In mid-October, promoters of 11 concerts held in recent months were fined by local authorities for breaching the allowed noise limit. The fines totalled €801,000, and included €142,000 and €146,000 sanctions for the promoters of Taylor Swift concerts on May 29 and 30. Real Madrid maintain the fines were levied against the relevant artist promoters.
Residents also complained of serious disruption on days around each performance as streets were blocked by trucks and infrastructure required for the concerts.
In response, club representatives maintain the co-ordination of live concerts is largely dependent on the artists and their technical support teams.
At the end of his statement in court, Jose Angel reiterated the club’s offer to reconcile the interests of affected residents regarding the staging of future concerts and to carry out all the necessary complementary soundproofing work, including that of the houses surrounding the ground.
(Julian Finney/Getty Images)
