Barça's top priority in the partial reopening of the Camp Nou

BarcelonaBarça announced on social media, in a video featuring Joan Laporta, that Camp Nou would reopen for the Joan Gamper Trophy on August 10. The club's plan is to open the first two rings and a capacity of around 60,000 spectators. However, with just over a month to go until the first match at the stadium, there's no complete certainty that this can be achieved.

The work is not progressing at the same pace in all areas of the ground, and the City Council tempered the euphoria of Barcelona fans a few days ago. First Deputy Mayor Laia Bonet commented in a press conference that the work needed to be completed "in a timely manner" in order to apply for the first occupancy permit for the first and second tiers, a statement later echoed by Mayor Jaume Collboni.

At the moment, the section progressing at the fastest pace is the grandstand. Limak has already considered the option of not having all the stands open for the opening. The side and south goal are progressing at a slower pace, while the tempo It's better to go to the north goal. There is a possibility that for the Gamper only the grandstand area will be open to the public, which is a priority so that all the attendees can be present. VIPs and the club can fulfill its commitments. Thus, the capacity would be around 20,000 spectators, not 60,000.

The construction company assures that everything will depend on the pace of construction in the coming weeks. There are only 28 days left until Limak makes partial delivery of the stadium, and in these last few days, work has already begun on the foundations for what will be the second link. VIP, which will be located between the second and third tiers. Official club sources insist that the goal is to be able to meet 60% capacity and that tests will be carried out during the month of July, but that the main objective is to have it ready for the La Liga debut at Camp Nou on September 14, as well as the debut at Champ. "crazy" and acknowledge that enabling the stands is the core of the reopening. "It's a pilot test," they add. In any case, the works will progress against the clock, and this could even affect some workers.

At the end of the season, the board considered the possibility of opening the stadium at the Gamper Stadium, albeit moving the friendly against Italian side Como to September, coinciding with the international break. Furthermore, Barça had already asked La Liga to start the season away from home. Javier Tebas's organization accepted, and the Blaugranas will play their first home game on Matchday 4. Last season, considering the possibility of finishing the season at Camp Nou, Hansi Flick's team played more away games than home games during the first half of the season.

Initially, the roof was scheduled to be raised this summer, a phase that would take approximately three months. It was decided to postpone it until the end of next season. The turf was installed, but it is currently suffering from the dust generated by the construction work. Normally, it needs to be replaced several times while work continues. At the Bernabéu, for example, it was replaced up to five times in the first year after the renovation.