فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
Malaga’s mayor, Francisco de la Torre, announced today, Saturday, the city’s official withdrawal from the bid to host 2030 World Cup matches, citing the impact of the renovation works at La Rosaleda stadium on the local club and its fans.
Initially selected as one of eleven Spanish cities to host matches for the 2030 World Cup, co-organized by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, Malaga withdrew due to the reconstruction of the 30,000-seat La Rosaleda stadium, home to the local club.
Malaga CF, despite being relegated to the second division of the Spanish league, still enjoys the support of approximately 26,000 season ticket holders. The ongoing construction work would have forced the club to temporarily play in a stadium with a capacity of 12,500 spectators, a prospect deemed incompatible with the club’s reality and its fan base.
Following a meeting with the city council and the Andalusian regional government, Francisco de la Torre stated, “If we have to choose between the World Cup and the club, we choose the club and its fans,” emphasizing that the withdrawal was not due to financial reasons, even though the estimated cost of the renovation work was 270 million euros.
Meanwhile, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) is expected to reallocate the matches scheduled for Malaga to other candidate cities, including Vigo and Valencia, with Valencia being considered the most likely replacement to host the tournament matches.
The 2030 World Cup will be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, marking an unprecedented event in the tournament’s history by bringing together three countries.
