Real Madrid win legal battle over Bernabeu concert noise

Real Madrid said Wednesday they have won a legal battle in their dispute with a residents association complaining about “noise pollution” generated by concerts held at their Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

A Spanish judge said in January all concerts held at the stadium, including that of American superstar Taylor Swift, had exceeded noise limits and there were sufficient “indications” to consider the reported nuisances a criminal offence.

The proceedings targeted the company Real Madrid Estadio, which runs the iconic stadium, reopened in 2023 after a rebuild, as well as its administrator, Jose Angel Sanchez, the right-hand man of club president Florentino Perez.

The court “clearly and categorically concludes that neither Jose Angel Sanchez… nor Real Madrid Estadio SL bear responsibility for any criminal offence in relation to the concerts held at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium,” said Real Madrid in a statement.

Los Blancos said the court had dismissed the charges against them and specified it was the “concert promoting companies” who are “responsible for complying with the decibel limits”.

Contacted by AFP, the press office of the Madrid courts said it could not publicly comment on the matter for the time being, as “not all parties have yet been notified” of the ruling.

The court’s decision could be a first step towards the club being able to hold concerts again at the stadium in the future, after sound-proofing is improved.

Real Madrid, who have spent over 1.5 billion euros ($1.76bn) on renovating their stadium, were hoping to rake in revenue through holding high-profile concerts and other events.

However, since September 2024 many of the shows scheduled there have instead been held at Atletico Madrid’s Metropolitano stadium, located outside the city.