The debate has started over where the 2015 Copa del Rey final will be played and there are five possible venues to choose from.
Finalists Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao are both understood to favour Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium, although the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) will make their final decision next week after meeting representatives from the clubs.
All the potential venues need to have capacities in excess of 50,000, the only requirement set out by the RFEF, with the Bernabeu, Camp Nou, San Mames, Mestalla and La Cartuja all in the frame to hold the prestigious game.
Two other options in Montjuic and the Vicente Calderon have already been ruled out as the band AC/DC are due to play concerts there on the days either side of the final, while at the moment there have only been two formal requests to hold the match – one from Valencia, who have offered Mestalla, and the other from the Bilbao council, who have proposed staging it at San Mames.
However, the second option has virtually been discarded as the event must take place at a neutral ground, with the Bernabeu clear favourites to hold it despite not having submitted a request to do so.
In 2012 Madrid declined the offer to stage the final between the same two clubs, saying that it would have hindered construction work due to take place at the stadium, and it was eventually held at the Vicente Calderon.
