Sports Weekly All-Media Reporter Li Jingyi
The Bernabeu concert was suspended in early autumn of 2024 due to a complaint filed by a neighbor on the grounds of "noise pollution". Real Madrid had just completed the upgrade of its home stadium and returned to full capacity. It wanted to use the concert to expand its financial opportunities, but unexpectedly, the wish failed. More investment must be made in the stadium's shock and noise reduction renovation. The lawsuit lasted for two years, and Real Madrid's revenue was also implicated. On Wednesday, Los Blancos issued an official announcement announcing that the Madrid Provincial Court found that the Bernabeu was not responsible for the noise pollution caused by stadium activities.
Concert hosting has now become a key source of stadium revenue. Real Madrid achieved a historic revenue of 1.185 billion euros in football in the 2024-2025 fiscal year. However, due to the lack of concert revenue, the overall revenue growth rate of the Bernabeu was "only" 38% year-on-year. , according to Real Madrid statistics, the annual revenue from hosting concerts at the fully-capacity Bernabeu is approximately 400 million euros. The economic returns are quite generous, and the Madrid Municipal Government also has corresponding subsidies for such activities. If the concert business can be resumed, this part of the revenue will become a powerful growth point for Real Madrid's revenue.
Although the court has not officially announced the ruling, Real Madrid, after receiving the notice, can't wait to announce the lifting of the ban on concerts to the world. Real Madrid claimed that general manager Jose Angel Sanchez and its subsidiary Real Madrid Stadium Company were acquitted of any noise pollution-related charges. The court assigned the responsibility for the noise to the concert organizer and determined that the performance company that rented the Bernabeu to hold large-scale events such as concerts should be liable for damages or penalties for noise pollution.
Although the case was dismissed, the difficulties faced by the residents of the Chamartin district who are affected by the noise from stadium performances in their daily lives, as well as the hosting problems faced by Real Madrid, have not been resolved. In September 2024, Real Madrid announced that it would suspend performances at the Bernabeu "until a noise solution is found." Since then, reports have indicated that Real Madrid has launched a study on the Bernabeu's sound insulation renovation plan and consulted relevant contractors, with the aim of reducing the decibels of the concert to an acceptable level. However, the relevant renovations will require at least 20 to 25 million euros. With the exemption judgment issued, it is unclear whether Real Madrid will continue to promote the noise improvement project.