Moriyón: no formal request yet over Sporting’s Mareo buyback

Gijón mayor Carmen Moriyón has clarified the status of the possible buyback by Sporting of the Mareo Football School if the club earns promotion to LaLiga. As Sport reports, the City Council has not received any formal proposal about the move.

No prior paperwork

Moriyón said Sporting had not brought the issue to the Council’s table: “no question has been put to the Ayuntamiento.” She added that the administration learned about the plan “through the press,” following what Alejandro Irarragorri had outlined. Even so, she said the idea would make sense if the right conditions are met, linking it to what she considers the best outcome for the city: getting the team into the top flight.

She also recalled that in an early meeting with Irarragorri she explained the project she believes the city should offer: putting the club in Primera. Moriyón argued that it would be “natural and logical” if Mareo’s facilities belonged to Sporting, noting that the installations were acquired by the Ayuntamiento at a time that was “tremendously delicate” for the club.

Maintenance at El Molinón

The mayor also discussed the upkeep of El Molinón. She said the City Council carries out ongoing structural work because the stadium’s coastal setting causes constant wear, and that the plan is to close the term with close to one million euros aimed at structural reinforcements and safety. Sport further notes that, among other actions, all stadium gates are expected to be replaced before Christmas (about 150,000 euros) and that there is a broader project to renew the roofs, starting with the West stand, with two million euros currently available for the works.