Barcelona fans are excited about the reopening of Camp Nou

BarcelonaIt's nine in the morning. There are still two hours to go before the players take to the pitch, but there's already a buzz at Les Corts. It seems no one remembers Wednesday's match in Bruges. The metro and buses are packed with Barça shirts and scarves. The atmosphere is festive. Faces beam with excitement, perfectly comparable to those on Christmas Eve. It's more than just a training session. It's the first day fans can return to Camp Nou, and no one wants to miss it.

"It's about time!" exclaims Sergi, devouring a generous tortilla sandwich in one of the bars next to the stadium. He says he wants to be one of the first in. So do his tablemates, perfectly decked out in Barça shirts and sweatshirts. They prefer not to give their names. They confess they should be working from home, but they've "taken a few hours because the occasion warrants it."

"We're back home," they say excitedly from the VIP box. President Joan Laporta didn't want to miss the stadium's reopening, nor did most of the board members. They were all beaming and posing for photos and videos. Beyond its footballing and financial implications, the return to Camp Nou is excellent news for the board in an election year. After training, Laporta went down to the pitch and basked in the adulation of the cheering crowd, while the players spent a considerable amount of time signing autographs for the younger fans. "This is the legacy we're going to leave for future generations," the president told the media.

It's also a great day for businesses, which are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. "Football accounts for 50% of our revenue, counting match day and the pre-match period," says Xavi Català, owner of the churro shop on the corner of Aristides Maillol and Travessera de les Corts. "Between the pandemic and the move to Montjuïc, it's been a shitty five years for everyone in the area," he says bluntly. And he was still lucky, though, as he was able to set up a mobile churro stand near Lluís Companys, which has helped him offset his losses.

Tickets, training"Stop selling tickets!" shouts a tout, circling up and down the stands chasing tourists. He's asking for 20 euros per ticket. There's anticipation and interest, although in reality, the first and second tiers of the main stand and the south goal—the only ones where tickets go on sale at midnight—don't quite fill up. In the end, 21,795 fans attended. Most are young people.

With an hour still to go before the players come out, the stands are already quite full. To pass the time, the music...speaker And some entertainers help pass the time. Shortly after, Cat joins in. The mascot has become a hit and is here to stay. At eleven o'clock sharp, the players take to the field. The first thing they do is admire the grandeur of the structure. They receive a standing ovation from the devoted fans, and they return the applause. After the obligatory photograph, the drills begin. With an audience present, it's not a good day for tactical exercises. Nor is that what the crowd wants, as they are content with rondos and a small-sided game in the middle of the field. Finally, crosses and shots on goal, and the pleasure of hearing the stands chant "goal" when they manage to beat Joan Garcia—a rare occurrence.

The opening match wouldn't be a premiere without anecdotes. During one of the shots, the ball goes into the stands, and a fan keeps it. When asked for it back, he refuses to return it. The crowd's response is a loud chorus of boos directed at the security personnel. Then a second ball falls and the same thing happens again. The players realize what's happening, and when Flick blows his whistle to end training, they respond by kicking all the balls to give them to the spectators. Two of them, by the way, jump onto the pitch but are quickly intercepted.

The reopening serves to conduct a pilot test

Today the cranes are still. There are no workers on site. The same will happen when matches resume; activity will have to be halted so that people can enter and exit comfortably and safely. Training, essentially, is a pilot test to ensure everything is working properly. The stadium renovation has also involved redesigning the access points. Everything is new, some things are temporary, and it takes some getting used to on the first day. But everything seems to be functioning correctly.

The access roads are wide. The construction areas are perfectly delimited and fenced off. The interior is delightful. The brand-new seats exude modernity. It looks very different, although in reality, little has been done to the first two tiers, beyond improving the incline and visibility in the lower section. Above, the third tier is taking shape. The entire steel structure has already been erected and is now being covered with precast concrete. In some areas of the side stands, all the rows are already installed, although it will still be a few months before the seats can be put in place.

After the first training session, they will still have to wait to play another official match. That's why obtaining the 1b license is essential, the one that allows reopening the side stand and increasing the capacity to 45,000 seats. However, these permits depend, in part, on the installation of some equipment that has arrived late. The club would like to play this first match at home against Athletic Club on November 22nd, but there is pessimism. The other date on the horizon is November 29th, Barça's 126th anniversary, when they would take advantage of Alavés' visit to hold a double celebration at the Camp Nou. "The goal is to return this November, but we can't guarantee it," Laporta admitted.