Florentino doesn't park

The renovation of the Santiago Bernabéu, now nearing completion, hasn't been a bed of roses, nor has it turned the stadium into an icon for the city that would delight the entire world and elevate the Spanish capital's reputation worldwide, as Florentino Pérez tirelessly repeats. The road has been arduous and hasn't been without its pitfalls and obstacles. In fact, the latest (for now) came this Monday the 20th when it was learned that the Madrid High Court of Justice (TSJM) had ruled in favor of the residents and dismissed the appeals filed by Real Madrid and the Madrid City Council to overturn a previous court ruling and allow them to build two parking lots. The ruling is a complete halt to the parking lot system, but the club and the City Council have 30 days to appeal, and they're sure to do so. This is going to take a long time.

History goes way back and confirms that the Bermabéu Neighborhood Association of Those Affected by the Club has become the real thorn in the side of Real Madrid, the only visible opposition to Florentino Pérez who, incidentally, has yet to set a date for this season's membership meeting.

It all began in July 2021, when Real Madrid presented a private initiative proposing the construction of a tunnel and two underground parking garages. The city council accepted the proposal and, two years later, put the works out to tender, a project that was ultimately awarded to the club itself through the company Real Madrid Estadio SL.

The parking lots Almost 2,000 parking spaces

It wasn't a modest project. The parking lots were to be located on Paseo de la Castellana (with 1,299 spaces) and on Padre Damián Street (617 spaces), and it's all part of the club's ambitious goal of maximizing the profitability of the stadium and its surrounding area.

The ruling released on Monday upholds the one issued by the Administrative Court in May 2024. Judge María del Carmen Casado then rejected the project, accepting the arguments of the Neighborhood Association of Victims; in short, the project lacked a genuine public interest. She also criticized Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida's council "because he has ignored reports from his officials warning him that the parking spaces were incompatible with the current urban development plan."

The ruling wasn't final until September 2024, and work continued. The judge then ordered the immediate suspension of the work pending the ruling, which came this Monday, a further setback for the club and the City Council.

The injured parties “A gross violation of the law”

Enrique Martínez de Azagra, president of the Neighborhood Association of Victims, asserts that "what the City Council had done was a gross violation of the law, bordering on textbook prevarication." He is not anti-Real Madrid. Born in Pamplona in 1946, he is a club member. A retired industrial engineer, he claims to have invested more than 1,200 hours studying the project before deeming it "an outrage." At the last meeting, Florentino Pérez offered him words that hurt: "He may say he's a member, but he certainly isn't a Real Madrid fan."

The judge's ruling this Monday is clear: "The public interest is not supported by any traffic data that would prove that the congestion situation would be resolved, justifying the public interest, but rather by a private interest that would benefit Real Madrid."

It also adds that there are changes to the project that make it incompatible with the Special Plan for the Bernabéu Area, which was approved by Manuela Carmena as mayor of the city and which marked the starting point for the stadium's remodeling.

The ruling also requires Real Madrid and the City Council to assume the legal costs: €6,000 for the council and €12,000 for Real Madrid.

The club has not officially commented on the ruling.

No concerts There is no date for them to resume

The parking issue isn't the only setback for the new Bernabéu. The suspension of major concerts starting in September 2024 due to poor soundproofing and complaints from residents continues to damage the club's finances and damage its reputation. Madrid hoped to resolve the problem and resume these events in March 2025. But for now, they haven't returned, nor do they have a return date.