In Marciliano and Concha Espina this Sunday there is a different crowd than usual. They arrived from the other side of the pond, with their kits and their team mascots, and managed to change the torches and drums of football fans everywhere. … A brass band and performers transformed the White Temple into a headquarters for Yankee culture. However, this Major League Soccer match in Madrid went beyond what neighbors and drivers were expecting, and even surprised the fans themselves, who claim they have never seen the same police deployment and traffic closures even in an important league match. revocation.
They arrive at the Santiago Bernabéu on foot, passing through Padre Damian Avenue, from Cuzco or Nuevos Ministerios along Paseo de la Castellana or sneaking around the area around Real Madrid Stadium. This entire area is closed to traffic for this special occasion and is controlled by 425 municipal police officers and at least 400 National Police agents.
Security is a major factor in organizing this event. Before arriving at the stadium, two queues are formed, one from Paseo de la Castellana and the other from Rafael Salgado, with thousands of people waiting their turn to check all their belongings.
Traffic reductions began at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, and will continue until 8:00 p.m. This afternoon, affecting some of the region’s busiest roads and the capital’s main artery. The areas surrounding the stadium will remain closed to traffic throughout the operation, as will the streets between Concha Espina Avenue and Gutierrez de Solana Avenue. According to the mobility plan designed by the Madrid City Council, residents of the area who have a permit will be able to access these closed streets, with the exception of part of Padre Damian Street, between Rafael Salgado and Plaza de los Sagrados Corazones, where “for security reasons, access will not be possible.”
It is an issue that the neighbors respect from a security standpoint, but they do not understand “how it could continue for 48 hours.” “There were people who wanted to go down Padre Damian to get to Plaza de los Sagrados Corazones to attend Mass, and they were not allowed to do so,” laments Nicolas, a resident of this area.
From shortly before noon on Sunday, the area had already begun to fill with fans of the Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders, who gathered among themselves at bars in the area, taking photos and commenting on the game that was about to start. As this crowded area of Chamartín filled up, the music began. The horns, drums and cheerleaders transported the crowd to any other American stadium, making many of them feel at home.
The impact of this event, which is part of the NFL’s strategy to seek followers in other parts of the world, will translate into millions of euros for the capital. More specifically, a figure of around €70 million of economic impact will be dealt with throughout this week. Naturally, residents are now wondering, “Does all this benefit compensate for the inconvenience they are causing by paralyzing a major area in the capital?”
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