As he stated on Friday, he had gained access to the stadium lease signed last March, something that was only possible after “three written requests, an extraordinary commission, a threat to report the situation to the Aragon Transparency Council, or a court ruling condemning the PP for violating the fundamental rights of Socialist councillors.” However, he regretted that Zaragoza Mayor Natalia Chueca had only allowed the PSOE to read the contract without providing a copy.
Specifically, Royo accused Víctor Serrano, the “head’s adviser,” of “falsely” claiming that Real Zaragoza had paid €1.1 million for the new stadium fee, when the contract states that it will not pay that amount until the completed facilities are handed over. At the same time, he questioned the distribution of income, the payment of property tax with public money and the fact that the private partner will not assume responsibility for maintaining the stadium until 2031.
“He even lied by claiming that he was not allowing us to access the new stadium’s lease to prevent possible terrorist attacks,” he said ironically. For all these reasons, the Socialist councillor explained that he would request Serrano’s appearance at the next Presidency Commission.
“It is incomprehensible that, at this point, it should be the Socialist Group that has to explain to the public what Chueca and Azcón have signed with the private partner in order to build the most important project in terms of public spending undertaken in this city over the past 15 years,” he criticised.
PUBLIC MONEY
He recalled that “we are talking about €160 million in public money to date, and we have no doubt that the figure will end up being higher. The fact that the PSOE has to provide transparency regarding the La Romareda contracts is an anomaly that shows that Chueca’s government has always considered the new football stadium its own private fiefdom, where things are negotiated behind closed doors without anyone knowing anything at all.” “Once again, this is not merely another example of this government’s lack of transparency, but of the almost feudal conception that Ms Chueca has of this City Council,” he said.
In this regard, he wanted to make clear that the PSOE, “in its role as the opposition, will tell the public what Chueca has refused to explain, such as the agreements she has reached with Real Zaragoza.” Among other things, “we will do everything possible to ensure that the people of Zaragoza are not misled again at the polls as they were in 2023, when Chueca and Azcón told them that the New Romareda would cost zero euros.”
The main complaint raised by the Socialist councillor after the PSOE was able to view the contract concerns statements made by councillor Víctor Serrano at the Presidency Commission on September 8, when he claimed that Real Zaragoza had already paid €1.1 million for the fee to use the new stadium.
“Mr Serrano came in and lied without the slightest embarrassment,” Royo said, recalling the exact words recorded in the minutes of that session: “Look, I have just read it to you: the industry contract refers to the amounts to be received for use of the stadium. Year 0 and years 5 onwards, €1,100,000. I said it before. They have been paid.”
LACK OF TRANSPARENCY
During that intervention, the Socialist councillor recalled, Serrano also defended the claim that the income was properly reflected in the company’s accounts, published on its website, and challenged accusations of a lack of transparency.
However, according to Royo after reviewing the contract, clause 6 expressly establishes that Real Zaragoza will not pay the fee or rent for the new stadium until it is handed over after the works have been completed. “When Víctor Serrano categorically stated at a plenary commission meeting that Real Zaragoza had paid €1,100,000 as a fee for the new stadium, he lied in a completely disgraceful manner,” he said.
The Socialist councillor believes that Serrano knew the contents of the document when he made those statements, since, according to his complaint, Serrano displayed it during the commission while at the same time denying municipal groups access to it on grounds of confidentiality.
Royo also warned of the potential consequences that delays in building the new stadium could have for income from Ibercaja’s sponsorship. According to his explanation, the sponsorship agreement provides for €10 million over 10 years: €2 million corresponding to 2025 and 2026, linked to Ibercaja Estadio, and a further €8 million from 2027 onward, associated with the future Ibercaja Romareda.
CONSTRUCTION DELAYS
The Socialist councillor recalled that the mayor herself has acknowledged that the works will not be completed by summer 2027, as planned, and that Real Zaragoza will begin next season at the temporary stadium, which would mean a third year of use.
“Under the terms of the sponsorship agreement, that third year’s €1 million should correspond to Nueva Romareda rather than Real Zaragoza,” he said. Royo therefore put a question to Chueca’s government: “Will the government ask Real Zaragoza to return that €1 million to the company? We are very much afraid it will not.”
The Socialist councillor also warned of the economic imbalances in the contract. He recalled that the new stadium will require a significant investment of public money, while the income derived from its sporting and non-sporting operation will remain in the hands of the private partner. “A private partner that already bears a lower share of the construction cost than the public partners, which has always seemed to us to be a very worrying imbalance for the public interest,” he said.
The councillor also questioned why the stadium’s property tax will not be paid by the operator, but by a company whose capital is 75% publicly owned. “I assure you that the property tax bill will amount to many thousands of euros every year for the next 75 years,” he warned, arguing that this provision entrenches a model in which “the private partner keeps what is profitable while the public partners provide the money.”
Royo also expressed concern that the stadium’s maintenance will not be assumed by the private partner until 2031, after the 2030 World Cup. Until then, he explained, maintenance costs will be borne by Nueva Romareda.
The Socialist councillor said that Víctor Serrano’s statements about the new stadium fee disqualified him from continuing to act as Chueca’s government interlocutor on the matter. “I believe Ms Chueca should not allow a liar to act as her spokesperson on La Romareda, someone who went to a plenary commission meeting and lied in such a clumsy and ridiculous way,” he said.
