Emergency summit between Sporting and the Gijón City Council to discuss the most delicate moment – of the many that has occurred in a year and a half – of the “Asturias 2030” candidacy to be one of the World Cup venues. The Gijón option is experiencing its busiest days after seeing the light of the project for a new El Molinón just six days ago in a public presentation that is almost the least of it. David Guerra, executive president of the red-and-white club, went to the City Hall yesterday mid-morning to hold a meeting with Jesús Martínez Salvador, councilor, spokesperson for the local government and second deputy mayor.
The event, revealed by LA NEW ESPAÑA in its digital edition, lasted an hour and a half. Guerra appeared at City Hall with the intention of saving the candidacy, and avoiding his fall in this initial phase, after many months of battling.
The face to face had a lot of fun. Because on Wednesday the local government made public its doubts regarding essential aspects of the project and that compromise the continuity of the candidacy, which must pass the municipal filter no matter what before reaching the last sieve: that of the Spanish Federation, which also observes Now the El Molinón project is far from the favorites. The deadline stipulated for signing the official application for candidacy was February 24, next Friday. But it can no longer be ruled out that the deadline will be extended so that Sporting can gain time. In fact, that possibility was left semi-open yesterday at the meeting. Salvador, however, verbalized to Guerra that the signing of the agreement must be brought to the Plenary Session. It is not a decision that should be made only by the current local government, the City Council understands, but it is such a delicate issue that it must be dealt with by the rest of the municipal groups. If it is decided in full, the project has almost every option of not going ahead. Only Vox seems to be working to vote “yes.” The rest of the municipal groups have already made public their doubts and misgivings about FIFA’s demands.
The meeting between Sporting and the Gijón City Council essentially revolved around the two aspects that are of great concern in the Consistory and that compromise the signature that the candidacy requires to get into the fight. One, the very high demands of FIFA, advanced by LA NEW SPAIN, which require a million-dollar investment, above 50 million, which the City Council understands “far exceeds the possibilities of the City Council.” Another, the need for Sporting to finally finalize its financing plan for the 150 million euros it costs to renovate El Molinón and for the investments required by FIFA around the World Cup.
The meeting was cordial, although the positions at the moment remain quite separate. Guerra was understanding of the misgivings of the Gijón City Council with the very high demands of FIFA to be the venue, and he understood the doubts that exist from the Consistory with giving its approval. The Madrid executive, who was supported by members of the legal department of Orlegi Sports, who intervened electronically, in an appointment prepared days ago, defended that the signing of that document is not binding so Gijón could withdraw from the race for the World Cup at any time if the financing is not finalized.
Meanwhile, he explained, that the “Asturias 2030” candidacy needs that “ok” from the City Council to continue in the race to be the venue. Otherwise, the World Cup will be left without traveling to Asturias permanently.
Sources close to the red and white club state that other cities that are candidates to host the sporting event have signed – or plan to sign – this document, and that therefore they do not have to assume a financial commitment. The responses that Sporting gave to this aspect do not at the moment reassure the City Council, which remains concerned with the commitments that the city could acquire if it signs its signature on that document, something that seems distant at the moment. The City Council is also clear that signing this document is binding. “The document is absolutely binding from a legal point of view. It is a contract,” say municipal sources.
The second topic of the day was the great workhorse of the project: financing. The question, the same as always: who will be responsible for those 150 million euros in which the reform of El Molinón has been set? The City Council asked the red and white club to finalize its financing plan once and for all. Without a plan, there is no project, they understand in the local government and “they did not raise any certainty about how it will be paid,” they conclude.
2024-02-16 03:15:00
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