Athletic And Barcelona Will Ask For Bernabéu Final

Both Fernando Macua and Joan Laporta will ask to see if the Spanish federation (RFEF)will be willing to change the venue for the final of the Copa del Rey from Mestalla to the Santiago Bernabéu. The agreement was made on Friday during the pre-match luncheon made in Barcelona prior to the matchup between the two clubs on Saturday at the Nou Camp. The big reason for their desire to move the final to Madrid is based mostly on the fact that they would want more of their respective supporters to attend the game. A bigger stadium would be a lesser safety risk as there would be fewer fans heading to the Spanish capital without a ticket. More ticket sales would translate in to more revenue for both clubs.

Athletic mentioned that they wanted to change the venue after their semifinal win against Sevilla on Wednesday. The motion for this to happen will be discussed on the 11th in an extraordinary session of the RFEF. Mestalla was selected as the site for this year’s Copa final by unanimous decision as a way to celebrate the club’s 90th anniversary.  The precedent of clubs wanting to change venues is not a foreign concept.  Last year Valencia wanted the site to be changed from the Vicente Calderón to the Santiago Bernabéu as well.  That proposal was shot down by the RFEF.  According to reports on Saturday, The RFEF will most likely shoot this one down as well.