Socialist Spokesperson Demands Transparency in Marbella’s New Stadium Project
Isabel Pérez, the spokesperson for the Socialist Municipal Group in the Marbella City Council, has demanded “maximum transparency” and strict adherence to the law from Mayor Ángeles Muñoz regarding the “opaque project” of the new municipal stadium. Pérez has urged the mayor not to toy with the hopes of the citizens.
Concerns Over the Project’s Progress
Pérez recalled the many doubts that arose from the project’s presentation in July 2020, which eventually amounted to nothing, like many of the mayor’s announcements. Now, four years later, there are even more uncertainties following the latest press conference, which lacked many explanations.
Costs and Delays in the Project
So far, this issue has already cost the municipal coffers “one million euros” for a “head architect” to take two years to develop a project that bears no resemblance to the one made public after an ideas competition, which evidently only served to waste time.
Support for a New Stadium, but Not at Any Cost
“From the PSOE, we say yes to a new stadium, Marbella needs it,” Pérez reminded, but it “cannot be at any price” and certainly not by giving away a large public plot in a very central area that would pass into private hands, including the operation of a commercial area and a hotel.
Call for Transparency and Legal Compliance
“We demand that, once and for all, there be transparency in this matter and we know exactly what Mrs. Muñoz wants to do,” Pérez said. She added that they have heard alarming things like handpicked concessions, without competition, a way of acting that reminds of the GIL era.
Threat of Legal Action
Pérez warned that the socialist group “will not hesitate to go to court if it considers that the law is being violated.” In municipal management, “the general interest must prevail, never the private one, as the PP likes,” so the PSOE will be “very vigilant” to defend the heritage of all the residents of the municipality.
Warning Against Unrealistic Mega-Projects
Pérez also asked the mayor not to toy with the hopes of the citizens by announcing “mega-projects” of 130 million euros, which “remind a lot” of the expansion of La Bajadilla and then amount to nothing.
Advocacy for Publicly Funded Stadium
Pérez recalled that her party’s stance has always been to build a stadium with funding from public administrations such as the City Council, the Provincial Council, and the Junta de Andalucía, “the same formula that is being used in places like Linares or La Línea de la Concepción.”
Recalling Muñoz’s Previous Promises
Furthermore, Pérez reminded that this is the same idea that Ángeles Muñoz proposed in a press conference at the Hospitalillo on August 10, 2021, where she announced a stadium in which “the management, the initiative, and the approach were going to be municipal,” according to the mayor’s own words, with an investment of about 15 million euros.
Marbella’s Need for Sports Facilities
Pérez concluded by stating that Marbella “needs a stadium, an athletics track, and a certified swimming pool” and, in general, the “best sports facilities,” those with which, in 15 years as mayor, Ángeles Muñoz “has not been able to equip the municipality.”
