President of the Valencian Community Football Federation, Salvador Gomar, is upset with the choices made by the Spanish federation. The municipality has requested government intervention.
Spain has officially designated the 11 venues, or stadiums, for the 2030 World Cup, excluding those in Vigo and Valencia after failing to reach an agreement with Portugal and Morocco to present two additional venues alongside the six African and three Portuguese ones. The proposal must be submitted to FIFA by July 31.
President of the Valencian Community Football Federation, Salvador Gomar, is unhappy with the Spanish federation's (RFEF) decision.
"It's a disgrace by the RFEF. Despite being late, Valencia met the requirements before July 31. In 2030, no one will remember if the documentation was submitted in March or July. This decision excludes the third-largest city in Spain, which has all the infrastructure required by FIFA."
The Valencia municipality also expressed its discontent: "Everyone agrees on the necessary presence of the city and the Valencian community in an event of this importance. It is a mistake as a country not to have our region represented in the World Cup. We are saying no to a region that has more than proven its capability, both in terms of infrastructure and hotel capacity, as well as connectivity, to host these events. We hope that the Spanish government, through the Consejo Superior de Deportes, reconsiders this situation, as what was announced today is the RFEF's proposal and not the government's proposal."
Among the eleven stadiums, Madrid, Catalonia, and the Basque Country each have two venues. The eleven venues are: Anoeta (San Sebastián), Camp Nou (Barcelona), Gran Canaria (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria), La Cartuja (Seville), La Rosaleda (Málaga), Metropolitano (Madrid), Nueva Romareda (Zaragoza), RCDE Stadium (Barcelona Cornellá-El Prat), Riazor (Coruña), San Mamés (Bilbao), and Santiago Bernabéu (Madrid).
Aragon is the only one of Spain's 17 autonomous communities that is excluded from the 45 sub-venues (locations for team camps and training) presented by the RFEF. Vigo will have two, and the Valencian community will have three, although these will be subject to FIFA's approval, and then the teams will choose their preferred locations for camping and training.
