Abandoned World Cup stadium stripped of hosting rights after being left to rot for 15 years in heart of major city

AN abandoned football stadium in Spain has been stripped of the rights to host games at the 2030 World Cup.

Spanish giants Valencia had planned to move into the 80,000-seater Nou Mestalla Stadium ahead of the 2009/10 season.

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It was dubbed the "world's greatest football stadium" ahead of its completion.

But 15 years later, it still remains closed.

Valencia ran into financial trouble at the time, racking up debts of £350million.

They also struggled to find a buyer for the old Mestalla Arena and were denied a £90million bank loan.

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The La Liga side subsequently had to abandon plans to move into the new ground.

And the Nou Mestalla Stadium was left unused as a result.

There had been hope that it could finally be used at the 2030 World Cup - which will be held across Spain, Portugal and Morocco - but claim the RFEF will no longer consider it as a potential venue.

Prior to the RFEF's decision, Valencia's Mayor, Maria Jose Catala, revealed she was hopeful the Nou Mestalla would eventually open.

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She said: "The demands are not going to be lowered nor are the deadlines going to be accelerated.

"We are talking about a future Mestalla field that should last for decades and this circumstance concerns a series of matches for, at most, a month.

"We are not going to compromise the future of the new field to being a sub-venue or hosting a World Cup match.

"Because that is not going to condition our level of demand and we are not going to accelerate any deadline either.

"If it arrives and can host the 2030 World Cup it will be great for Valencia and if not, it won't be possible. We are not going to condition it."

Madrid (both the Bernabeu and Wanda Metropolitano), Barcelona (both the Camp Nou and Espanyol's Cornella El Prat stadium), Bilbao, Zaragoza, Seville, Malaga, Gran Canaria, La Coruna and San Sebastian are now expected to be announced as the host cities.

It is reported that Vigo will be given more time to prove it can host matches.