Barcelona and Alavés "will not be able to play the 2017 Copa del Rey final" at Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu as Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez confirmed that "there will be construction work taking place that weekend," according to Díaz & Terroba of MARCA. Barcelona has not played the "showpiece event" at Real Madrid's stadium since '97 and will once again "have to play at an alternative location on May 27." Pérez: "The final cannot be played at the [Estadio Santiago] Bernabéu because of construction work" (MARCA, 2/9). In Madrid, Álvaro Roca reported one by one, "the potential venues for the Copa del Rey final are being crossed off the list." Atlético Madrid's Vicente Calderón "could follow" Real Madrid's stadium and Athletic Bilbao's Estadio San Mamés in being unavailable. A Guns N' Roses concert "has made the Bilbao venue unavailable." Atlético's stadium "might also be out of the question following protests" from a group of fans. With the hashtag of #Noalafinaldecopaenelcalderon (#NoToTheCupFinalAtTheCalderon) becoming a "trending topic in Spain, there is strong opposition" to allowing Barcelona and Alavés the "privilege of being the last two teams to play a match at the capital city club's soon-to-be-demolished home" (MARCA, 2/9).
