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FOOTBALL

Real Madrid given green light for stadium makeover

Madrid's city hall on Wednesday gave the green light to a multi-million-euro revamp of Real Madrid's mythical Santiago Bernabeu stadium after courts blocked an initial, more ambitious project.

Real Madrid given green light for stadium makeover
The Real Madrid stadium is set for a makeover. Photo: AFP

The 81,000-capacity venue will be fitted with a retractable roof and will also include room for a shopping centre and possibly a hotel, all of which is to be enveloped inside a metallic, undulating facade.

A mall that is currently adjacent to the stadium will be knocked down and replaced by a large public garden.

READ MORE: Real Madrid relaunch bid for stadium revamp

Photo: AFP

The city hall tweeted that its executive council had approved the project, which will be financed by Abu Dhabi-based sponsor IPIC, who will be given naming rights.

The original plan involved enlarging the stadium plot onto public land to build a hotel and shopping centre.

But it was blocked by Madrid's High Court in 2015 on the grounds that the European Commission was investigating the club over an alleged overpriced land transfer between Real Madrid and the city.

In July 2016, the Commission found that the transfer had indeed been overvalued and constituted illegal state aid.

That autumn, the club returned a total of €20.3 million ($23 million) to Madrid city council over the land deal and tax breaks the EU said were giving it unfair advantages.

In the new project, which was unveiled around the same time, the shopping centre will now be included within the existing stadium.   

It is still unclear whether it will also feature a hotel.    

The original structure was inaugurated in 1947 before being renamed in 1955 after former club president Santiago Bernabeu, who died in 1978.   

It has already undergone several makeovers since the 1982 World Cup in Spain.

Real's great domestic rivals Barcelona have also announced plans to remodel their Camp Nou ground.

Real's cross-city rivals Atletico Madrid are for their part due to move to a new 70,000-seat stadium this year, leaving behind the 55,000-capacity Vicente Calderon stadium, which is set to be demolished and turned into a park and housing.

READ ALSO: Mixed emotions as Atletico bid adios to Vicente Calderón


Fans wave flags and scarves during a celebration bidding farewell to the team's stadium. Photo: AFP

RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

https://twitter.com/GravesenFumado/status/1764242481984491822

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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