Bilbao on Thursday reaffirmed its interest in being a host city, alongside San Sebastián, for the 2030 World Cup, denying that the "red lines" communicated by Basque institutions to FIFA on May 31 are "obstructing" the process. "The scope of the project is so broad that we have considered introducing conditions and reservations. Not because there is opposition to the project, not because we don't believe in the opportunity. But because we have an obligation to understand exactly which commitments would be permanent and which temporary," stated Kontxi Claver, Councilor for Economic Development, Commerce, Tourism, and Employment.
Claver opted for prudence and avoided providing specific data beyond what was already known. The official mentioned the red lines sent to FIFA, which will be decisive in determining if Bilbao and San Sebastián become co-hosts, while emphasizing that the City Council "is not taking a passive or uncritical stance".
The municipal official defended that the City Council is "obligated to comply" with certain "confidentiality clauses" signed with the federation. The red lines would include ensuring that the required investments have utility beyond the event itself, that costs are proportionate and sustainable, that Bilbao maintains its decision-making capacity in its areas of competence, that the event is compatible with the city's functioning, and that Basque language receives adequate treatment, among others. She was more explicit when mentioning "new technical requirements" linked to the selection process, suggesting that "some conditions related to the infrastructure of the San Mamés stadium itself have changed," and hinting that part of the negotiation focuses on public transport management.
Claver assured that the bid remains "open" and that FIFA informed the Basque institutions on June 11 that it "does not foresee making additional assessments on the submitted documentation - regarding the new proposal sent by Bilbao and San Sebastián to be a single host city - until the World Cup concludes," currently being held in the USA, Mexico, and Canada. Once it ends, "the submitted proposal will be reviewed in greater depth and conversations with the candidate cities will resume".
Given that the bid remains "open," Claver stated that the conditions "are not closed" and therefore, discussing them would be "counting chickens before they hatch." She also defended that "making working documents public could not only violate acquired commitments but also harm Bilbao's ability to defend its interests at this stage." "This does not mean an absence of control or transparency. It means responsibility. There is not yet governance for the 2030 World Cup host cities, and therefore, relevant issues are not yet fully defined," she stated.
The City Council's decision to remain silent did not sit well with the opposition, who criticized the municipal government's "lack of transparency." Xabier Jiménez, from Elkarrekin Bilbao, criticized the Consistory's "monumental exercise in opacity" regarding the World Cup controversy. "This is a public institution that must at least inform what it can offer FIFA. The rest is a shadow play debate." Jiménez stressed that "democracy needs transparency" and the lack of concrete data "impoverishes the democratic exercise".
Although Claver reiterated that "confidentiality is not the same as opacity," the PP party was also highly critical of the City Council. Its spokesperson, Esther Martínez, censured that "Bilbao has no voice of its own" and that the municipal government "has not been brave." "We do not depend on San Sebastián to be a World Cup host. They have proven incapable of defending our city, and that's why they've concocted a castle of excuses," she accused, reproaching them for being "subject to the bunker of Sabin Etxea" and moving "backwards like crabs," referencing Bilbao's previous hosting of the World Cup in 1982.
EH Bildu also criticized the "battle of narratives" in which institutions have been immersed since May. Highly critical of FIFA, coalition councilor Xabier Fernández stressed that "any debate without data is a toast to the sun." "The fundamental thing is that the federation does not govern Bilbao and that cities set the conditions," he emphasized, adding that "if this is not done, nothing will happen." The party noted the absence of including "the Basque National Team"'s participation in the world championship among the red lines.
