THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MADRID, Spain — Vicente Calderon stadium will host the Copa del Rey final between Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao on May 25.
The Spanish football federation decided the Atletico Madrid’s stadium will host the domestic cup final after a drawn-out process that was made more difficult by Real Madrid’s refusal to allow the match to be played at its Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
Following several meetings without agreement, the Calderon was chosen in a vote on Tuesday ahead of Seville’s Olympic Stadium for the right to host the Spanish season finale.
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola insinuated that the recent bad blood in matchups between his club and Madrid was to blame for the Bernabeu slight.
"If Barcelona wasn’t a finalist, the match would probably have been played at the Bernabeu. If work needs to be done, work needs to be done," Guardiola said Tuesday about Madrid’s excuse that it cannot host the final as it is planning important repair work.
Barcelona and Bilbao are both playing their 36th final. Barcelona has won a record 25 times, compared to 23 for the Basque club. Barcelona beat Bilbao 4-1 in the 2009 final in Valencia.