Security fears force Barcelona into crucial decision for Camp Nou reopening against Athletic Club | OneFootball

Barcelona’s long-awaited return to the Spotify Camp Nou was always going to generate emotion, excitement, and a sense of renewal. 

Yet just days before the stadium reopens its doors, the first controversy surrounding the match has surfaced. 

According to information published by Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona have officially decided that Athletic Club supporters will not receive an away-end allocation for Saturday’s clash.

This means the grand reopening of the Camp Nou will take place without visiting fans, which is a rarity, and a decision that has already caused debate across both sets of supporters. 

What’s the story?

Before diving into the explanation, the situation needs context. The Camp Nou remains under active construction, operating under temporary safety permissions while work continues across several areas of the ground. 

Because of this, Barcelona insist they are unable to guarantee the conditions required by law to host supporters from the opposing team.

Athletic Club later communicated the full details to their own fanbase, passing on the reasons given by Barcelona. In their official statement, the club confirmed, 

“The match between FC Barcelona and Athletic Club at the new Spotify Camp Nou this coming Saturday will not have the usual tickets allocated to the Athletic Club fans.”

There are valid reasons

Barcelona will not accommodate Athletic Club fans this weekend. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Athletic then outlined the specific security limitations presented to them. They stated: These are the reasons –

‘With a 1B license, it is not possible to guarantee the separation, control, and minimum protection conditions required by regulations to host visiting fans. 

‘For this reason, a secure, sectorized access cannot be enabled without undertaking some improvements that are already underway and will be ready in the coming weeks.’

To further clarify the issue, the club highlighted two key structural problems. First, they revealed, 

‘Non-independent access points: the available entry and exit points do not allow for the establishment of exclusive circuits for visiting fans, which would prevent the crossing of traffic with the home crowd.’

They also pointed to a second concern, ‘Insufficient physical sectorization: the stands do not have adequate structural elements to safely isolate and delimit the visiting section.’

Barcelona view the decision as a necessary precaution rather than a sporting choice. Until the remaining construction phases are completed, the club believes inviting away supporters could create unnecessary risk.