Real Madrid could face trial over noise pollution from stadium concerts

Original article by Sam Jones in Madrid

Real Madrid could face trial for alleged environmental offences after a Spanish judge ruled there was sufficient evidence that loud concerts held at the club’s Bernabéu stadium, which has been dubbed “the torture-drome” by local residents, could have broken the law.

The Residents’ Association for those Affected by the Bernabéu (AVPB) began legal action against the football club and the city council in 2024, saying a series of punishingly loud concerts held that spring and summer had made their lives a misery. Performers included Taylor Swift, Luis Miguel and the Colombian star Karol G.

“It’s just hideous – you can’t move your car, you can’t take the dog out, and you’re having to prepare yourself mentally because it’s awful,” one resident told the Guardian at the time. “It also creates health problems – lots of us are suffering from more frequent headaches, stress, anxiety and depression.”

Although Real Madrid eventually cancelled or rescheduled all concerts at the arena and said it was working to comply with council noise regulations, the AVPB pushed on with their legal action.

It emerged on Thursday that Mónica Aguirre, the judge investigating the complaints, has indicted the club’s CEO, José Ángel Sánchez, and the Real Madrid subsidiary company that operates the venue.

According to legal documents seen by the Spanish news agency Efe, both will face “abbreviated proceedings” after Aguirre determined that there were “indications of the commission of allegedly criminal acts” – namely the environmental offence of noise pollution.

The complaint alleges that the football club hired out the stadium to concert promoters despite “knowing that the facility lacked the minimum acoustic insulation necessary to avoid contamination of the stadium’s surroundings and an impact on the rights of its neighbours, with serious danger to their health”.

Enrique Martínez de Azagra, the president of the AVPB, welcomed the judge’s decision, saying the group had overwhelming evidence of decibel levels “exceeding the zone of health risks” on more than 100 occasions.

In a statement released in September 2024, Real Madrid said it had decided to cancel or reschedule all concerts at the Bernabéu.

“This decision is part of a raft of measures the club is taking to ensure the concerts comply strictly with the relevant municipal regulations,” it said. The club added that despite the introduction of soundproofing measures, “different organisers and promoters” had still found it difficult to comply with council noise regulations.

The club has been contacted for comment.