Re: **Official Other Teams & Games Thread, Season 2012/13**
If Real Madrid is able push through its planned stadium expansion, the Bernabéu will become the third largest '5-star' stadium in the world. The aim is for the new ground to seat 93,000 fans, putting it behind only the Camp Nou (98,772) and the Azteca Stadium (105,000).
The Madrid fortress would thus outstrip all the world's other major grounds. The new Wembley houses 90,000, and is followed in capacity by the San Siro (87,500), the Olympic Stadium in Rome (85,000), the Soccer City Stadium (84,490), the Stade de France (81,000) and Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park (80,552).
'Los Blancos' are determined to add 10,000 extra seats in the new stadium, which will also feature a retractable roof and a new electronic panel system. Other details are still to be determined, including the best way for the club to foot the bill for the redevelopment. Some of the proposals incorporate a much more exclusive and luxurious VIP area like the one at the new Wembley, which generates €10 million a year by capitalising on the sections of the ground reserved for what Roy Keane famously called the "prawn sandwich phalanx".
The other main source of revenue will be the surrounding shopping centre, as the agreement with Madrid City Council means the club will be able to make use of extra space in the area around Paseo de la Castellana. The cost of the stadium will be between €200m and €250m with the hope of paying that off within 5 years. Getting full value out of these new commercial areas will be vital in the club's bid to write off the cost