Cali Mayor’s Office confirms that it “lent the Pascual Guerrero for free” for Shakira concerts but that “there was no detriment”

“There was no heritage detriment with the use of the stadium.” This was stated by the Cali Mayor’s Office when presenting the arguments that support the loan of the Pascual Guerrero Olympic Stadium for Shakira’s two concerts held on October 25 and 26, 2025.

The head of the Management Support Unit of the Ministry of Sports and Recreation, Krysthian David Ramírez, explained that “there was no detriment to the city in the contract for the economic use of the stadium to hold this event. The decisions were made based on Decree 0160 and were reviewed by former councilor Augusto Hernández Becerra, who ratified the procedure in accordance with the decree that governs and regulates this scenario.”

The official added that this decree allows public entities to be exempt from holding these types of events, as happened with Corfecali for both concerts, which generated an impact of more than 20 million dollars on the Cali economy.

For his part, Fabio Botero, manager of Corfecali, pointed out that by receiving the stadium and facilitating its use by Páramo Presenta, Cali once again positioned itself on the international scene with a world-produced show. “We allowed this delivery to be made at no cost. If it had not been achieved, the value to be paid would have been $399 million, but if that figure was not corrected, the artist would not have come to Cali and the city would not have obtained the economic impact already mentioned,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Mabel Lara Dinas, Secretary of Economic Development, highlighted that Shakira’s arrival “activated retail trade and repositioned Cali. What big cities do — and what businessmen and artists request — is to work together. Normally what they ask for is the ‘venue’, that is, the place where the event takes place.”

Diego Ospina, executive president of Cotelco Valle del Cauca chapter, joined this assessment, stating that “the positioning strategy through events such as Shakira’s concert leaves us with historical figures and tourist income that generates significant job creation. It is essential that, as a city, we bet on these events that put Cali in the eyes of the world and allow us to continue growing as a destination.”