The great dilemma of reopening the Camp Nou

BarcelonaFor many months now, the technicians in charge of the remodeling of the Camp Nou They propose waiting until 2026 to reopen the stadium doors.They argue that the delays were inevitable and that if they could work without having to juggle tasks with matches, the job would be done better and faster. Until recently, the board of directors flatly refused. The urgent need to begin financially operating the stadium had taken precedence over everything else. But the will of Joan Laporta's board would eventually clash with Barcelona City Council and the Fire Department, who objected to the first occupancy license (LPO) citing safety concerns. Thus, despite the construction company Limak's efforts, the stadium couldn't be opened for Gamper Stadium, neither for September 14th, nor for the Champions League match against PSG.

Having accepted their resignation, the next challenge is the derby against Girona. This Tuesday, there will be another follow-up meeting between Barça and the City Council to discuss the issue. A week ago, everything seemed to be on track to obtain the LPO (Limited Player of the Year)—Albert Batlle, third deputy mayor, almost took it for granted—but in recent hours, doubts have arisen. Whether this Tuesday or later, obtaining the LPO will be much celebrated in the club's dignitaries. But deep down, the feeling is bittersweet: the fact that it will arrive well into October, and not for the first home league game, raises doubts among the Barça leadership. "We're not sure it's worth it," they admit in ARA.

Is it worth reopening the Camp Nou if you can't make more money from the ticket sales?

The initial objective was to avoid having to return to Montjuïc. That's why the club requested the first three matches to be played away from home, and an exception was requested from La Liga to use Johann Cruyff in two matches despite not meeting capacity standards. But ultimately, there was no other option. At this point, it's necessary to use a calculator. Thus, with the investment made in the Olympic stadium—where the area had to be re-purposed for football and the turf installed, expenses that Barça will cover—the board has decided to the debate has been raised as to whether it is worth returning imminently to Camp Nou or is it better to wait, as the You Say RAC1. At Lluís Companys stadium, more than 50,000 tickets could be sold, while at Barça's ground, the initial capacity will be 27,000, including those in the grandstand and the south goal. Later, perhaps in November, permission would be obtained to use the side (45,000). Finally, and with an eye toward 2026, the north goal—the area where work is most delayed—would be available to exceed the 60,000-seat capacity threshold. Once phases 1a, 1b, and 1c are completed, the goal is to accelerate the completion of the third tier (phase 2) and have it operational by the start of the 2026 season. Finally, the roof will be installed in the summer of 2027 and will be finished during the 2027/28 season.

Official sources maintain that the goal is to return to the pitch as soon as possible, and add that UEFA is open to allowing the initial phase of the Champions League to be played in two stadiums, as an exception to the rule. "They haven't even said yes to us, but they're open to talking about it," the club explains. Of course, to authorize a European match, the side and, to play well, the north goal must be open. In addition, there are the logistics of keeping two facilities open at the same time and the constraints of ticket sales: even if rent is paid for Montjuïc, the final revenue for Camp Nou will be lower if half of the seats cannot be occupied. Therefore, the latest proposal on the table is to wait until after the holidays, speed up the process to completely complete the first phase and open the doors with the 60,000 seats in the first and second stands. "They've talked, but we know the president is not at all convinced," explains one of the architects consulted.

Adapt the 1957 Camp Nou to current fire regulations

Meanwhile, at Camp Nou, work continues at a frantic pace. The pitch and stands are now ready, but there is still work to be done. deficiencies in the accesses and in the bowels of the stadiumAccording to ARA, one of the issues that held up the reopening was adapting the stadium to current fire regulations, as the 1957 structure was built at a time when no fire regulations existed. Aside from the financial cost involved, there have been several delays in the delivery of materials, such as the fire doors. The club's official version is that "they are already installed," although some explain that the fire department's requirements will not be met until November. Therefore, Barça was looking for a third option: obtaining a conditional license, in which the fire department would point out a series of minor deficiencies and Barça would assume responsibility for repairing them. For now, it is merely a request that neither the city council nor the fire department have yet to see a clear solution.

Ultimately, adapting to current regulations has been a real pain for the club and has caused numerous clashes between the Espai Barça technicians and the Fire Department. "In the third tier, which is brand new, there is no problem of this type. But it has been difficult to make it understood that in the 1957 structure, some of the things that were requested could not be fulfilled," add the sources consulted, linked to the club, who also complain that bureaucracy has greatly slowed down the work. "The volume of plans and documentation is so high that in some cases we have needed a week to be able to deliver everything," they lament at Barça. Although, behind closed doors, the tone is the same. mea culpa due to changes in some points of the project, which in technical jargon is called fast track –construction on the fly–. "We've proposed better solutions, technically and sometimes also financially, but in return we've had to start from scratch with all the paperwork, and that has slowed down the work."

The city council's version, however, is different. From the outset, they admit that Camp Nou is a unique construction and that it wasn't easy to adapt the stadium to current regulations. But, from there, they insist that "the requirements are the same for everyone" and point out that, ultimately, they are directly responsible for the safety of the spectators. "We're really looking forward to Barça returning home, but we want it to do so with guarantees," Mayor Jaume Collboni summarized a few days ago.