Tenerife Stadium Future Sparks Political Clash Over Renovation Versus Relocation
Canary Islands President Fernando Clavijo is calling for consensus among local authorities as a heated debate emerges over whether to renovate CD Tenerife’s historic Heliodoro Rodríguez López stadium or construct a new facility in La Laguna.
The debate over the future of Club Deportivo Tenerife’s home ground has reached the highest levels of government, sparking a choice between modernizing the current stadium or building a brand-new facility. Fernando Clavijo, President of the Canary Islands, recently told Radio Marca’s Despierta Canarias that the regional government believes the Heliodoro Rodríguez López stadium has structural and location issues that limit the club’s long-term growth.
This position creates uncertainty for the Cabildo de Tenerife’s current master plan. The island’s roadmap proposes investing between 26 and 33 million euros over four stages ending in 2040. The goal is to expand the stadium’s capacity to over 25,000 seats and renovate its exterior. However, the plan leaves the door open for a potential move or major urban changes—such as burying the Avenida de San Sebastián—once the third phase is complete.
The situation has become more complicated following an offer from the La Laguna City Council. Mayor Luis Yeray Gutiérrez has proposed providing 40,000 square meters of land in the Las Mantecas area. He argues that this site is a more efficient choice in terms of time and cost, as the land is already being developed and would not require expropriations. He believes this move would help ease traffic in central Santa Cruz while providing the club with modern facilities that meet European standards.
Santa Cruz Mayor José Manuel Bermúdez has strongly rejected the proposal, calling it an interference and questioning its political motives. For Bermúdez, the club’s historical bond with the capital is non-negotiable, and he views any move outside the city as a threat to the team’s identity.
Amid this tension, President Clavijo has avoided backing a specific location, insisting that any final decision must come from a broad consensus among all involved authorities. The conflict between renovating the historic stadium and building a new one has become a significant urban planning challenge, one that impacts not just the future of the club, but also how public funds and land are managed on the island.