Residents launch legal challenge over noise levels at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu

Residents’ dispute with Real Madrid and the events surrounding the Santiago Bernabeu has moved to the courts after an association representing people affected by noise at the stadium challenged a permit issued by Madrid City Council.

The permit allowed noise levels above the usual limits during the American football league match between Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders on 16 November 2025.

The case has been brought before Madrid’s administrative court and concerns a decision by the General Directorate for Sustainability and Environmental Control. That decision temporarily authorised noise levels above the permitted threshold for the match.

According to Sport, the residents argue that the event did not qualify for the exemptions provided under noise pollution regulations. They are asking for the authorisation to be cancelled.

The dispute centres on the noise recorded on the day of the fixture. The municipal permit allowed levels of up to 75 decibels, compared with the general reference limit of 55 decibels for residential areas.

However, measurements commissioned by the residents’ association and carried out by a specialist company concluded that even the exceptional limit approved for the event had been exceeded.

Reports submitted by the residents stated that noise levels at some locations reached 28 decibels above the maximum permitted level.

They also argue that the event involved more than the match itself. It included sound-amplification equipment, percussion instruments and musical performances during the half-time interval, with appearances by Bizarrap and Daddy Yankee.

The entertainment formed part of an event intended to turn the American football league’s arrival in Madrid into a major international show.

That wider character of the occasion is central to the residents’ objection. The association accepts that legislation provides exemptions for events of particular official, cultural or religious importance, as well as events of a similar nature.

But it believes a private sporting event with a substantial commercial element should not automatically fall within those categories.

The legal challenge also questions Article 19 of Madrid’s regulations for protection against noise and thermal pollution, which was used as the basis for the city’s authorisation.

The residents’ association argues that the municipal regulations may have broadened the scope of the situations covered by national legislation. It also disputes whether the mechanism can be used to permit higher noise levels for an American football league match.

In addition, the association says the permit did not provide sufficient justification for ruling out other technical measures that could have reduced the event’s impact on nearby residents.