By David Cartlidge (@davidjaca)

Confusion is set to reign once again in Spain, as the Copa del Rey final venue becomes open for debate.

In one of many things Spain seems to do wrong when it comes to football, the venue for the final is not decided until both finalists are known. This is a decision taken on by the RFEF, and at odds with the process UEFA employ for Europa League and Champions League finals.

So, as usual with Spain, it's a last minute job and panic to find a venue. England meanwhile has the right idea - the final will always be at Wembley. You can say the same for Germany, France and Italy. Berlin, Paris and Rome respectively are the choices for those countries in the major cup competition. 

But as the famous saying goes, Spain is different.

We are now left with an essentially open forum for debate in terms of the venue. It creates confusion, and unnecessary arguments. You can add in a mix of politics too, which only further creates more problems in what could really be a simple process.

So where will it be held this year? And who do the finalists want to host it?

Barcelona would, as always, like Real Madrid's home Bernabeu. It has the largest capacity of any ground in the country after their own Camp Nou home, and in turn would allow more fans in. Thus, giving more opportunity for Barça's large number of socios (season ticket holders, members etc) access to the game and generate greater revenue for not only themselves but their opponents too. It's also slap, bang in the middle of the country and has the best transportation links. It basically makes sense.

But...

Real Madrid made it perfectly clear in the past they did not want great rivals Barça on their turf. They've certainly not been receptive to the idea of the final being played at Bernabeu, and only one final in the last ten years has been held there - and it featured Real Madrid.

There have been several episodes - aside from the obvious rivalry - concluding in Real Madrid putting a bar across their doors. One particular incident was in the 1997 final when Barça beat Real Betis in Madrid. The Catalan hymn ringing around the stadium, and the flag being waved, obviously didn't go down too well.

Last year when the debate emerged, there was a Bruce Springsteen concert blocking the final from being played at Bernabeu. This year, building works has been cited as the reason. Convenient? Very.

How about Alaves? They want the final at San Mames. However, there is already a problem, and it's due to a concert again. Three days after the lodged date for the final, Guns N' Roses play at Athletic Bilbao's stadium. The club and local say they need time to prepare for that, and thus cannot have another event in Paradise City.

It's a shame for Alaves' legion of fans from Vitoria. They wanted the final close to them deep in the heart of the Basque country. Now it appears they might have to step out of the famous lands to see the team play their first ever Copa del Rey final.

So where to now? It appears Atletico Madrid's Vicente Calderon could be an option, with the cub offering it up to the RFEF. However, there is a catch. Atleti fans don't want the final game at the stadium to not feature their own club. It wouldn't be seen fitting as a send off to the creaking old venue. Speaking of venues that have seen better days, Mestalla is the other option. Valencia's home is looking more and more likely as times goes on. Three of the last eight finals have been played there, and it could be set to make a fourth appearance. There's not a rock concert in sight either.

The best league in the world? This is that time of year when Spain makes an attempt to be the most pathetic.