It’s official. El Molinón is one of the 15 candidate stadiums to host the World Cup 2030 within the framework of the joint candidacy prepared by Spain and Portugal. It was confirmed yesterday at a summit held at the headquarters of the Royal Spanish Football Federation in Las Rozas, Madrid, which was attended by Sporting, the Principality, the City Council and the Asturian Football Federation to learn first-hand about the prerequisites and receive different documentation in this regard. Of the 15 stadiums that have now been presented, the list will have to be reduced to 11. And there is one requirement that is fundamental. All venues must have a minimum of 40,000 net spectators, that is, the capacity to sell that number of tickets. The Molinón now only has 30,000 seats, so yesterday the roadmap was also opened to study a possible expansion of the Gijon Coliseum with more than 10,000 seats. The work is expected to be amortized with the return on the investment of the World Cup as it passes through Asturias, which would be around 1,500 million euros. In addition, thanks to the latest team expansions, at least five games would be played in each stadium. The decision of whether or not to undertake the works must be made in a few months.
The executive president of Sporting, David Guerra, was the strong man of the club yesterday at the meeting in Las Rozas. “This is the candidacy of all of Asturias, Gijón and Sporting. It is the winner,” said Guerra, who alluded to the fact that the Atletico fiefdom is the oldest in Spain. “It’s the most iconic. It has known how to age and evolve and it will continue to do so to host the World Cup,” said the rojiblanco, very satisfied with the institutional support. “We have expressed the unitary commitment from the institutions, the fans and the club,” he said.
About the works, they are waiting to analyze the documentation. “We have come as a single candidacy, that of Asturias. We have the support of all the institutions, from the Principality to the City Council,” he stressed. He was also asked about the late proposal made by the Orlegi Group to be on the list. He took advantage of his response to send a message to the fans after the subscription increase. “We couldn’t let the occasion pass. I never tire of thanking the fans for their support, despite the difficult decisions we’ve had to make,” he said.
On behalf of the Principality was the General Director of Sports, Aída Nuño. “Now is the time to study and analyze all the documentation. It is time to work rigorously and seriously. And that is what we will do with the club, the City Council and the Federation,” she pointed out. José Ramón Tuero, the Councilor for Sports, was the municipal representative in Madrid. “The meeting is a starting point. The details that were given were already known”, he valued in reference to the works that would have to be done to expand El Molinón, which would have to exceed 40,000 spectators.
The rojiblanco coliseum is not the only one that does not meet the capacity right now. Neither do Riazor (La Coruña), Balaídos (Vigo), La Romareda (Zaragoza), La Rosaleda (Málaga) nor the Enrique Roca, which was previously the Nueva Condomina de Murcia. “We have to see who does the works, how they are financed. The City Council can collaborate, but not assume them entirely. It was important to be here,” he explained.
“Being able to host five World Cup matches in Asturias would be a milestone. Now we have to get to work,” acknowledged José Ramón Cueto Lobos, the president of the Asturian Football Federation, about the path that is now opening up. A very important path for the city and for Asturias that could culminate in El Molinón hosting its second World Cup event after the one in 1982.
