Spat over Becker goes into second set

President of the Insular Council of Majorca, or President of Majorca as she was referred to in the German media two weeks ago, Maria Antonia Munar, yesterday hit back over accusations of favouritism with regards to Boris Becker and his battle for planning permission over his Arta farmhouse. But no sooner had she accused the Partido Popular of “cheap politics” with their claims of favouritism, Balearic Chief Minister Francesc Antich, or rather the real President of the Balearics, confessed that the German tennis star and former Wimbledon champion will have the house of his dreams in Arta. “I hope the Council is able to reach an agreement” so that the house is completed, Antich said. Spokesperson for the Partido Popular, Jaume Font, has accused the Insular Council of Majorca, whose planning committee will have the final say over Becker's house, of treating the tennis star differently and claims that an inquiry has not been launched. Munar, in her defence, said that her February 14th meeting with Becker in Palma, had been applied for two months earlier and that the reason for the meeting was to discuss a project for a tennis school. She also reminded Font that during the meeting Becker said that he did not want any preferential treatment with regards to his house and that he wants his property to meet all the relevant planning laws. Munar accused the opposition PP of trying to use a famous person for “cheap political gain” warning that, in the worst case, “Becker will sell up and go.” Munar stressed the importance of having such high profile and famous people in Majorca. “Michael Douglas has given the island more publicity than all of Ibatur” (the Balearic Ministry for Tourism's promotional department), she said. It was Munar who first officially received Douglas at the Insular Council office in Palma ahead of the Hollywood star opening the Costa Nord Cultural centre in Valldemossa. He too has had problems with planning over the years at his S'Estaca estate in the mountain village. Becker wants to set up a tennis school on the island and has also pledged his support and help in organising a series of sporting events for the Insular Council of Majorca. The problem over Becker's property is that he has constructed on an area of 2'200 square metres, while the maximum permitted area is 500 square metres. Font said that in view of the size of the development, he is surprised Becker has not been fined. Insular Council spokesperson Miguel Nadal said that the last project submitted for permission was received on January 22 and “nobody has said that he is going to be treated any differently.