Court backs Real Madrid in Bernabéu concerts case

Real Madrid said on May 13 that the Third Section of the Provincial Court of Madrid had fully upheld appeals filed by José Ángel Sánchez Periáñez and Real Madrid Estadio S.L. over the criminal case tied to noise from concerts at the Santiago Bernabéu. The club said the court overturned a January 15, 2026 order from Madrid Investigating Court No. 53 that had kept the case moving under abbreviated criminal proceedings. The ruling, according to the club and Spanish media reports citing the decision, ended the criminal case against Sánchez, Real Madrid’s general director, and the stadium company. ### Which court ruled, and what exactly did it decide? The Third Section of the Provincial Court of Madrid issued the ruling and notified the parties on May 13, Real Madrid said in its official statement. The court fully accepted the appeals filed by Sánchez and Real Madrid Estadio S.L., with the public prosecutor joining those appeals, the club said. (realmadrid.com) The January 15 order under review had come from Investigating Court No. 53 of Madrid in preliminary proceedings 2034/2024. By reversing that order, the provincial court agreed to the free dismissal of the proceedings against Sánchez and the stadium company, bringing the criminal process against them to an end, according to Real Madrid’s statement and El País, which said it had reviewed the ruling. (realmadrid.com) ### Why were Real Madrid and José Ángel Sánchez being investigated? The case grew out of complaints over noise from concerts held at the Bernabéu in 2024. Real Madrid said the original criminal complaint had been filed by the Asociación Vecinal de Perjudicados por el Bernabéu and six other residents against Sánchez and Real Madrid Estadio S.L. (realmadrid.com) Spanish media reports said the dispute centered on whether club executives or the stadium operating company could bear criminal responsibility for excessive noise linked to concerts staged at the venue. El País reported that the court framed the issue narrowly as possible criminal liability, not broader social responsibility to residents affected by the sound levels. (realmadrid.com) ### If not Real Madrid, who did the court say was responsible? The court said the companies promoting and operating each show were responsible for complying with decibel limits, according to Real Madrid’s statement. The club said the judges found that the promoter companies leasing the stadium were the ones that “promote, organize, develop and execute” each event and therefore had to ensure compliance with Madrid’s municipal noise rules. (elpais.com) El País, citing the ruling, reported that the judges said the club and Sánchez did not themselves promote or execute the musical events. The newspaper said the court pointed instead to promoters, their legal representatives, artists, sound engineers and sound operators as the actors directly involved in producing the noise. (realmadrid.com) ### Does the ruling say concerts can immediately return to the Bernabéu? The May 13 ruling addressed criminal liability, not a blanket authorization for future concerts. Real Madrid’s statement did not announce new concert dates, and El País reported that several promoters had said concerts would not return to the stadium for now. (elpais.com) The court also said that breaching an administrative environmental rule does not by itself trigger criminal law, according to the club’s statement. That means the decision clears Sánchez and the stadium company in this criminal case, but it does not remove the separate practical and regulatory questions around staging large concerts in a dense residential area. (realmadrid.com) ### What are neighbors doing next? Residents’ groups said the case was not over. El País reported that the neighborhood association planned to file a cassation appeal, and Europa Press said the association would take the matter to Spain’s Supreme Court. (realmadrid.com) Europa Press said the association’s president argued that Real Madrid, as owner and manager of the venue, benefited economically from renting out the stadium and knew from the start about the acoustic impact of the events. The same report said residents had lodged hundreds of complaints, in some cases as many as 500, over the noise and disruption. (elpais.com) ### What should readers watch next? May 13 is now the key date in the criminal case because it is the date the provincial court notified its ruling ending proceedings against Sánchez and Real Madrid Estadio S.L. The next legal marker is the residents’ announced cassation appeal to the Supreme Court, according to El País and Europa Press. (europapress.es) Real Madrid, for its part, said it would continue cooperating with the relevant authorities. Any return of concerts to the Bernabéu will depend not only on this ruling but also on decisions by promoters, city regulators and any further court action brought by the residents’ association. (realmadrid.com)