Industry News

Vigo Mayor insists stadium renovation will go ahead

Work on Celta Vigo’s home stadium will go ahead as planned, despite the Spanish LaLiga football club’s president having stated that he is prepared to move the team amid a dispute over the ownership of the ground.

Celta president Carlos Mouriño has said the club has no option but to seek a new stadium after it failed to come to an agreement with the council over the ownership of the team’s Balaídos home ground.

The club is seeking to purchase the stadium in order to develop the facility itself. However the Mayor of Vigo, Abel Caballero, has reportedly only offered Mouriño a 50-year lease.

The 29,000-capacity stadium is lined up for more than €30m (£25.6m/$31.8m) worth of improvements and Caballero has now insisted this renovation work will go ahead despite Mouriño’s claims.

When asked whether Mouriño’s assertions would change the plans to develop the stadium, Caballero said, according to Spanish newspaper AS: “Why are they going to change?”

Caballero said Celta must focus on on-field matters between now and the end of the season. “I will therefore not make any statement that means generating any tension or distract Celta from their sporting goals,” he added.

Caballero said renovation work on one of Balaídos’ stands was already well underway.