Barça needs UEFA to do them a favor.

BarcelonaFor the third time, Barça's men's first team will play at the Johan Cruyff Stadium. After playing at Gamper Stadium and in the La Liga match against Valencia, the club confirmed that it would face Getafe again on Sunday. And it might not be the last time, depending on whether it obtains the necessary permits to reopen the Camp Nou for the next match, on Sunday the 28th, when Real Sociedad visits. The ambition of Joan Laporta's board to start the season at home has come up against construction delays and bureaucracy. Nothing is certain, and optimism or pessimism depends exclusively on the person being asked. At the time of going to press, the majority of sources consulted were inclined to believe the game against the San Sebastian team will be played at the Camp Nou. On the other hand, it seems very difficult to be ready in time for the Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain.

The fact is that the first occupancy permit is just around the corner. The club has the certificate of completion of works, which, once validated by the College of Architects (COAC), will be sent to the City Council. If this were a conventional construction project, the process would take months. But since this is Camp Nou, and given that the council's technicians have been monitoring the renovation for weeks now, the final approval could be obtained this week or early next week. Therefore, there is confidence ahead of the 28th. The problem is that Phase 1A, which only includes the grandstand and the south goal, would be authorized. with capacity for 27,000 spectators. For La Liga, that's sufficient. However, the Champions League requires that the side stadium (phase 1B) also be available.

The sources consulted confirm that the side stadium (which would increase the capacity to 45,000) is "ready to open." In any case, the final safety touches need to be made and all the corresponding paperwork needs to be processed. Time is running out, and it seems impossible to have everything ready by October 1st. Furthermore, UEFA requires further notice of the stadium. With all these conditions, it's likely that the club will end up opting to return to Montjuïc, even if only temporarily. Official club sources maintain that nothing has been decided yet and that they will exhaust all their ammunition before making a decision.

For now, Barça has agreed with Barcelona Municipal Services (BSM) to rent Lluís Companys until January, in case the Camp Nou doesn't reopen in time. However, the turf will have to be installed, a process that takes between 10 and 15 days. Considering that Barça-PSG is on the 1st, the decision should be imminent. Despite the club's decision to store the pitch and send him to Garden Tona daycareIf the turf at Montjuïc ultimately has to be replaced, it wouldn't be last season's turf that would be reused, but rather a brand new one. The positive aspect is that it guarantees a pitch in perfect condition. The negative aspect is the cost, which is around €600,000.

Under normal circumstances, if Barça were to start the Champions League at Montjuïc, they would have to play all their group stage matches. But the club, which has built bridges with UEFA in recent months, is confident it can secure an exception to the regulations and be able to make the change of stadium. The decision, however, rests in the hands of the body chaired by Aleksander Ceferin. As for capacity, there wouldn't be any major differences, but by playing at home the club would save on rent and could begin to exploit the new stadium, starting with the large seating available. VIP. Furthermore, Champions League matches, which have a date and time set well in advance, are usually a guarantee for selling practically all available tickets. This would generate much-anticipated revenue for Goldman Sachs, the financial company that must repay a significant portion of the stadium's construction loan in January.

Although Barça has publicly spoken positively about the City Council, behind closed doors there are voices critical of the "excessive oversight" of the technicians. "The Bernabéu opened under more precarious conditions and no one said anything. Here, everything is scrutinized," laments a person linked to Espai Barça. The City Council counters by citing "security reasons" and recalling that, compared to other projects, the Camp Nou has enjoyed a very fast process.

Season ticket holders who were unable to watch Barça-Valencia at the stadium will have priority

For the moment, there's no time for Barça-Getafe. In fact, the club had already seen it coming, so they had made moves to move Barça Atlètic-Castellón in the Second Division RFEF this weekend, which will also be played at the Johan Cruyff Stadium, to Monday to avoid clashing with the first team's match. The capacity will once again be 6,000, a figure below the minimum allowed by league regulations, which will again make an exception due to this being an exceptional case.

"Of the 16,151 members with full passes for the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 seasons at Montjuïc, those who were unable to attend the last matchday 4 of La Liga, against Valencia CF, will be given priority," Barça explained in a statement. "In this way, those who were not selected in the ticket draw and were unable to purchase tickets during the subsequent sales period will have 24-hour preference [starting on Wednesday the 17th at 10 a.m.] to purchase tickets for the match. After the 24-hour pre-sale period for this group of members who had a pass for both full seasons at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys and who were not awarded a ticket, the tickets will be given priority."