Pools & padel - Real presidential candidate's big plans

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• Published1 hour ago

Real Madrid presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme has launched his campaign by promising to develop the club's training ground into a hub for fans including swimming pools, padel courts and a basketball arena.

Renewables tycoon Riquelme is standing against Florentino Perez in the first presidential election in 20 years featuring a challenger.

Perez announced the election during an extraordinary news conference earlier this month in which he criticised journalists and La Liga and spoke of an "organised campaign" against him.

The 79-year-old has been in office since 2009 - and was previously president between 2000 and 2006 - but has overseen two successive trophyless seasons.

On Wednesday Riquelme, 37, presented plans to transform Madrid's Valdebebas training ground into 'La Ciudad del Socio' - The Members' City.

The project would turn the area into a vast social hub for Madrid's members, with an exclusive hotel, swimming pools, a gym, tennis and padel courts, basketball courts, football pitches and activities designed to bring supporters closer to a club he says has drifted away from them.

He has also promised to build a 15,000-capacity arena to host concerts and Real Madrid's basketball team.

Riquelme did not say how much the new development would cost or how the club would pay for it.

He also pledged to cut membership fees by 50% and make 10,000 season tickets available through a lottery to cut the number of members "holding for years in a waiting list".

Riquelme accused Perez of wanting to "privatise the club," after his opponent proposed to create a subsidiary that would allow outside investors to buy a 5% stake in Real.

"In the 1950s, Real Madrid was a members' club. The members felt they were part of something. They knew they were the ones in charge. Between 2004 and 2026, Real Madrid lost its essence, and the members lost their club," Riquelme said.

Perez's proposal would require members to approve a change to the club's statutes at an extraordinary general meeting.

Related topics

• European Football
• Real Madrid
• Football
• Spanish La Liga

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