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 filled 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 smiles 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.

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"—" says a tout circling back and forth, chasing tourists. He's asking 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, there were 21,795 fans. Most of them are young people.

The access roads are wide. The construction areas are perfectly delimited and fenced off. Today the cranes are still. There are no workers on site. It's the same thing that will happen when matches return; activity will have to be stopped so that people can enter and leave comfortably. Training, in essence, is a pilot test to check that everything works properly. The stadium renovation has also meant redesigning the access points. Everything is new, some things are temporary, and it's hard to get your bearings on the first day. But everything seems to be working correctly.

With an hour still to go before the players come out, the stands are already quite full. To pass the time, the music, thespeaker 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 return the applause. After the obligatory photo, the drills begin. With a crowd present, it's not a good day for tactical work. Nor is that what the people want, who 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 chanting "goal" when they manage to beat Joan Garcia – a rare occurrence.

Having completed their 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 them to reopen the side stand and increase the capacity to 45,000 seats. However, these permits depend, in part, on the installation of some equipment that is yet to arrive. The club would like to play this first match at home against Athletic Club on November 22nd, but there is pessimism surrounding this. The other date on the horizon is November 29th, Barça's 126th anniversary, when the visit of Alavés would be used as an opportunity for a double celebration at Camp Nou.