Lionel Messi’s €30 million hotel demolition order

Lionel Messi’s €30 million hotel demolition order

Footballing legend Lionel Messi acquired the Hotel MiM Sitges on May 5, 2017. It is located just to the south of Barcelona. He purchased the hotel from businessman Francisco Sanchez Rodriguez for a price believed to have been in excess of €30 million. A court order has now been issued to demolish the building.

Rumours are rife of a suspected scam, as the building had actually been built violating the urban planning code, which usually results in a property’s demolition. When the property was sold to Messi, in the sale contract there should have been a section in which Sanchez ensures that there was no urban file against the property.

The hotel has sat unused since its purchase, as the legal battle continued, and now the demolition order has apparently been approved. This of course involves a huge financial loss for the Argentine star.

Sanchez Rodriguez originally applied to the Sitges City Council for a building permit to build the hotel back in 2009. It was granted on October 6 that same year. Construction work began in early 2011, and was completed in 2013, but it turns out the developer did not respect the limits assigned by the City Council.

A fault with the hotel’s balconies caused the controversy. They were built protruding two metres from the facade, which breaks the urban regulations. As there was no permission for this, Sanchez Rodriguez tried to resubmit the plans two years later, by which time it was too late and the demolition order was being processed.

It seemed to have been a minor problem, to simply remove the balconies when first asked. Unfortunately, the construction was such that in order to remove the structure of the balconies, the whole hotel would have to be demolished.

Messi’s hotel is managed by the majestic chain, located on Avenida Sofia in Sitges, about 50 metres from the beach. It is a four-star hotel, with 77 rooms, and suites, plus facilities including a swimming pool and gym. Lionel Messi’s lawyers are allegedly already working on a counteroffensive, to the demolition order, as reported by larazon.es.

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