Europa will change Gràcia for Nou Barris if Nou Sardenya does not catch up

Barcelona"We're not considering playing in another stadium." Club Deportivo Europa's position is clear: they will exhaust all options to continue playing at the Nou Sardenya beyond January 16. But a situation that seems quite complicatedThe RFEF regulations are clear: "It is a requirement to compete in the First Federation to have a natural grass pitch to be able to play all official matches." The position of the other clubs in the category, who do not welcome a change in the regulations, also makes it difficult for any modification to the regulations to be made. Thus, the Gràcia club only has two options left to play at home all year: obtain a moratorium longer than the current six months (a complicated solution at the moment) or resort to legal action.

The RFEF also requires clubs to choose an alternative stadium at the time of registration. And it is here that, in collaboration with Barcelona City Council, it has presented the option of playing at the Can Dragó sports complex, in the Porta neighborhood, next to Avinguda Meridiana. The pitch located in Nou Barris is the option the escapulated club is considering. It has natural grass, but it would need to be adapted to meet all the requirements: it should have a minimum capacity of 3,000 spectators and perimeter stands for the entire stadium, and improve the lighting. To achieve this, the council plans to invest around €1 million, although time is running out. "A project of this magnitude in six months is absolutely impossible. We are going to manually and artisanally repair the current grass stains to ensure the pitch is in optimal condition," assured Councilor for Sports, David Escudé, who added that work will begin now. "Since the one-year moratorium that would have given us more oxygen has not been accepted, it will have to be done starting tomorrow."

Europe and the City Council will have until January 16 to make the necessary modifications, although in the meantime, work will continue to ensure year-round play at the Nou Sardenya, as explained by club president Héctor Ibar. "Under no circumstances will we give up, and we will continue fighting to finish the season at our ground. It's one of our strengths, and leaving the Nou Sardenya is weakening us." In this regard, the club's top official has assured that training will take place at the Nou Sardenya, with the possibility of holding one per week at Can Dragó, provided the turf's maintenance allows.

Both organizations have been working for weeks to find the best possible solution. In June, they traveled to Madrid to present the arguments for playing on artificial turf to the other Primera Federación teams. Among the main reasons are the recent investment made to renew the artificial turf, the impossibility of hosting youth teams (who would be unable to play in Sardinia), and the need for basement parking, which would excessively increase the investment. There is a contradiction here. FIFA and UEFA do allow playing on approved artificial turf fields: "With the exception of the final, which will be played on natural grass, the competition matches may be played on artificial turf in accordance with UEFA infrastructure regulations, provided it is certified by FIFA." A curious situation that allows Europa League semifinals to be played on artificial turf fields (as was the case with Bodo-Glimt in the last edition), but not in the Primera Federación, where the requirement is clear.

The Águila field, more problems for Europe

This year, the tender for the Àliga stadium, a municipal pitch in Gràcia, was put out again after several years in which its management had been handled by the Peña Barcelonista Barcino (Barcelona Club). Europa is one of the clubs that submitted bids to regain control of the pitch and be able to use it for its youth teams, a first step toward considering a change of turf at the Nou Sardenya without removing its youth teams. However, the City Council declared the tender void, a move heavily criticized by Europa. The organization, chaired by Héctor Ibar, expressed its "indignation and discomfort" at the decision and claims to feel "aggrieved by the district of Gràcia toward the club," as stated in a statement on its website.