Although the identity of the teams contesting the Copa del Rey final is now known, the venue for the showpiece occasion is causing an emotive debate following Real Madrid’s reluctance to host the game at their Bernabeu stadium.
– #Quiz360: WIN Dhs250 Legends Sports Bar voucher
Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao progressed to the final with respective midweek victories over Villarreal and Espanyol, and directors of both clubs are keen to stage the game at the Bernabeu due to the size of the stadium and the rough equidistance of Madrid from Barcelona and Bilbao.
Although Real Madrid have not commented publicly, Los Blancos’ hierarchy are thought to be reticent to opening up the possibility of Barcelona celebrating a title triumph in their stadium.
The issue is complicated by the fact that Atletico Madrid’s 54,000-seater Vicente Calderon stadium, which hosted the last final between Barca and Athletic in 2012, is not available for the scheduled date – the final weekend in May – as it has already been booked for a concert by rock band AC/DC.
The delicate political situation within the country is another key consideration, with many Barcelona fans also strong supporters of Catalonia separating from Spain and forming a new, independent Catalan nation.
There is also a strong history of Basque separatism, led by the region’s capital city Bilbao, and fans of both Barca and Athletic loudly jeered and whistled the Spanish national anthem when it was played before kick-off in their 2012 final meeting.
Authorities are therefore understandably keen to avoid a repeat scenario in the country’s capital city this year, and the likelihood of the game taking place in Madrid is very slim.
That being the case, Valencia’s Mestalla stadium is the most likely destination for the final, although there are concerns from supporters of both sides that it is an old and poorly provisioned venue.
Another option is La Cartuja in Seville, which was built for the 1999 World Athletics Championships and hosted the 2003 UEFA Cup final between Celtic and Porto.
But it rarely hosts football – it is not used by either Sevilla or Real Betis, the city’s two major teams – and Seville’s southerly location is another negative: the city is nearly 1,000 kilometres from Bilbao.
Mestalla therefore remains the favourite, and that will at least please Athletic striker Aritz Aduriz, who previously played for Valencia and said: “I have a special feeling there.”
