Goodbye to the New Cerdeña, a "First Division" stadium

BarcelonaCE Europa is leaving Vila de Gracia. Starting next week, they will play away from the Nou Sardenya stadium because the RFEF (Royal Spanish Football Federation) requires them to "have a natural grass pitch to compete in the Primera Federación (First Division)." The club's efforts have been in vain, as they were unable to extend the six-month moratorium. since achieving promotion He has pulled every string to change a regulation he considers absurd and outdated: artificial surfaces are permitted in the Champions League and the Europa League, but not in the third tier of Spanish football. Despite promises, neither the Spanish nor the Catalan federations, nor the CSD (National Sports Council), have done enough to prevent the forced departure of Europa, a founding member of La Liga and one of the last bastions of artificial turf. popular football in the territory.

The most special farewell

So, this Saturday's match against Alcorcón (2 p.m., Movistar Plus) is the last of the season—in the league; the Copa Catalunya will be played at home—in Gràcia, the farewell to the Nou Sardenya. "It will be very special because for many of us it could be our last match in the stadium," explains Argentine goalkeeper Juan Flere, who loves defending the goal that borders Pau Alsina Street, the end occupied by the Eskapulats, the heart of the Nou Sardenya.

So much so that last year, on the final matchday of the season, with Europa already promoted to the Primera RFEF, he asked his coach, Aday Benítez, not to include him in the squad so he could watch the game from the stands, standing, with the Eskapulats (the Europa supporters). Flere, an idol at the Nou Sardenya stadium, ended up hanging from the crossbar shirtless and soaked with beer thrown by the Europa fans: "It was a party."

"The atmosphere is like a top-flight team. I haven't experienced anything like it in Spain," says Flere, who even made his debut in the Segunda División with Cádiz. As he often says Aday, who played with Girona on the best national pitches, "at the Nou Sardenya football is not seen, it is lived": the pre-match chat on Camèlies street, the kisses in Chus's bar, the atmosphere in the south goal... and the feeling of community of an entity deeply rooted in her neighborhoodThis is key to understanding the social growth – in just a few years it has gone from 700 to 3,700 members – and sporting success of a team that has returned to the third tier of Spanish football after 30 years. And it has done so with great success, because for now Europa is third in the Primera RFEF and occupies position... play-off of promotion to the Second Division. If they are so close to professional football, it is primarily thanks to their fortress: last year they didn't lose a single home game and won 14 of the 17 they played. "When Sardeña presses, we are practically invincible," proclaims the goalkeeper, originally from Patagonia and a Catalan by adoption.

The "magic" of Sardeña

"It's the magic of Nou Sardenya," sums it up Àlex Cano, who, after 17 seasons and more than 500 matches wearing the scapular on his chest, knows the Gràcia stronghold like the back of his hand. "Everyone who comes to the stadium, as a player or a fan, is impressed by the atmosphere. There are footballers who would like to sign for a European club so they can experience it from the inside," reveals the eternal European captain, aware that, if they stay in the Primera RFEF, with the current regulations, it's hard to imagine them leaving.

The new home of the European club will be Can DragóLocated in Nou Barris, less than half an hour by metro from the Gràcia neighborhood, it is an athletics facility converted into a football pitch – with removable stands installed to reach the minimum capacity of 3,000 spectators, among other improvements – lacking the atmosphere and mystique of the current stadium; it is the imaginative option that the club, in collaboration with the Barcelona City Council, has found to meet the requirements of the RFEF (Royal Spanish Football Federation).

The match is scheduled to begin on Saturday, January 17th, against Atlético de Madrid's reserve team, the second-placed team in the league, although the club has requested a postponement to "ensure the proper establishment of the natural grass" after several days of "rain, storms, and a drop in temperatures." Before that, however, Europa will reluctantly bid farewell to the Nou Sardenya and the Vila de Gràcia neighborhood: "We have so many memories, so many last-minute comebacks... it hurts a lot to leave such a special place with the uncertainty of not knowing when we'll be able to return."