FC Barcelona has not yet been given the green light to make its return to the Spotify Camp Nou by … More
FC Barcelona has not yet been given the green light to make its return to the Spotify Camp Nou by the local city council, as explained by MARCA citing anonymous sources.
Earlier this week, Barca excitedly announced that it will return to its iconic ground on August 10, which is when it expects to host the annual Joan Gamper Trophy match against a still unnamed opponent.
“This return represents a historic milestone for the Club and for Barça fans, since after more than two years of extensive renovation and temporarily playing away from home at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium, they will once again experience the excitement of football in the Barça temple, in the heart of Les Corts,” the club said in a statement sent to the media and members.
“However, it should be noted that the return will take place while the works on the new Spotify Camp Nou continue, and it will be necessary to coexist with performances in different areas of the venue,” it then added.
According to MARCA, however, the City Council isn’t so sure about the return and “has curbed the euphoria of the Board of Directors and all the Culers”.
“The Catalan club is in the hands of the council to give it the license, which, at present, it cannot guarantee because the works are not yet in the required phase [of completion]
. Controversy and uncertainty are served,” the Madrid-based newspaper further explained.
The deputy mayor of Barcelona, Laia Bonet, has already spoken in the press and said that the Spotify Camp Nou will be able to reopen when it has the necessary municipal permit to do so. That is a requirement the club doesn’t yet have, because the necessary works of the first phase of the renovation, undertaken in 2023, aren’t yet completed.
“Today we are not at that moment, and we need the time to be able to verify once the works are finished that the stadium is in conditions to be able to accommodate the public,” she commented.
Not playing the Gamper at Camp Nou would be an embarrassment for FC Barcelona
Though there is still plenty of time to sort out the required license, not playing the Gamper Trophy match at Camp Nou would be embarrassing for FC Barcelona and its president Joan Laporta after going out on a limb and publicly stating that this will happen.
