The series is over: Barça-Valencia will be played in Johan

BarcelonaWith just five days to go until the first home game of the season, Barça has made it official that it will play Valencia this Sunday at the Johan Cruyff Stadium. "The club is working intensively to obtain the necessary administrative permits for the opening of the Spotify Camp Nou in the near future. For this reason, the match will ultimately be played at the Johan Cruyff Stadium," the club explained in a brief statement. "FC Barcelona thanks its members and fans for their understanding and support during such a complex and exciting process as returning to the new Spotify Camp Nou," the club continued.

The Ciudad Deportiva stadium, home to the women's team (who have moved their match against DUX Logroño to Friday (8 p.m.)) and the reserve team (who play away), will host a La Liga match for the first time after a frantic few weeks in which the club has not obtained the permit. As of Tuesday, talks to secure the permit were still ongoing, but with the match just days away, the club has accepted that its long-awaited return to the Les Corts neighborhood will have to wait. Few spectators, therefore, will be able to watch Hansi Flick's team's first home game.

The club's announcement last August that the Joan Gamper Trophy would be played at Camp Nou is a distant memory. The pace of the construction work and the lack of all the necessary permits from the authorities to guarantee a match with the necessary safety conditions forced them to look for alternatives. The first proposal was to play at Camp Nou in front of just over 27,000 spectators in the first two tiers of the main stand and the south goal. However, the club couldn't meet the deadline for delivering the certificate of completion (CFO) for these areas and failed to obtain the necessary permits to guarantee the safety of the fans.

The return of the Champions League to Camp Nou

Returning to the Olympic Stadium was also considered, which will surely happen. with the first Champions League home games this season, But that wasn't possible for that match, as there's a concert by American Post Malone. Barça had obtained permission from La Liga and UEFA to start the season as an away team, but even so, they haven't been able to finalize a return to Camp Nou, which remains unscheduled. They have, however, obtained permission from UEFA to change stadiums in the Champions League: the debut against PSG would be at the Olimpico, and then the matches at Camp Nou could be moved, provided a La Liga match is played beforehand, which could be with Real Sociedad's visit on September 28. For this Sunday's La Liga match against Valencia, however, the only option left was Johan Cruyff.

The agreed-upon solution was to obtain permission from La Liga to play at the Ciudad Deportiva stadium. This Monday, La Liga granted the club an extra day to make the decision and communicate the full operational details, as not all the details were finalized. This Tuesday, in fact, club employees were working frantically to prepare the technology that would allow for the VAR and the goal-validation camera system. A bizarre operation that required reaching an agreement among the Spanish football authorities, as well as those of the city of Barcelona and Sant Joan Despí. With a capacity of 6,000, this stadium, in theory, shouldn't host matches of this level, as league regulations state that "First Division stadiums must have at least 15,000 spectators." Some First Division clubs have reportedly considered filing an appeal, claiming preferential treatment for Barça. But club sources remain calm, as the League statutes allow exceptions for reasons of force majeure.

Barça has been able to adapt the Ciutat Esportiva stadium in time, with the installation of all the VAR cameras and a fiber optic connection to avoid similar problems to the Rayo Vallecano match against Barça. The Catalan club has been working until the last minute with two scenarios on the table: play Johan or receive last-minute permission to play him at the Camp Nou, a delay that has also bothered their rival, Valencia, who still didn't know where they would play five days before the match. Finally, they will have to play Johan, where there will also be a zone VIP For some fans, as was the case on Como Day at the Gamper Stadium.

Priority for season ticket holders at Montjuïc

Barça has also announced that a lottery will be held to win a ticket to attend the match. Only the 16,151 members who held the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium Pass during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons will be eligible to participate. They must register by zone, and seats will be allocated through a lottery. Only the winning members will be charged for admission. Tickets can be requested via a form on the club's website from Wednesday at 10 a.m. until Friday at 10 a.m. Applications can be made individually or jointly, with up to four members, as Barça has announced. Tickets VIP, however, are generally on sale.