Tensions rising in Barcelona offices over the handling of Camp Nou return | OneFootball

As per initial plans, FC Barcelona should have already been back playing at the Spotify Camp Nou for months now.

The idea was for the Blaugrana to return to their renovated stadium by the end of 2024. But nearly a year later, there is still no clarity on when the comeback will happen.

The Joan Gamper Trophy match against Como was announced as the match that would mark the return, but was then moved to Estadi Johan Cruyff.

The same has happened with the upcoming La Liga match vs Valencia – the first home game of the 2025/26 season.

Frustrations inside the boardroom

As such, SPORT reports that the continued delays in returning to the Spotify Camp Nou and the way the whole issue has been handled have given rise to tensions within the Barcelona board.

The heated atmosphere caused by delays in the works at Camp Nou has generated discontent among Barcelona members. The issue is not so much the delays themselves, but above all the failure to meet the announced dates for the return.

The confirmation that the reigning La Liga champions will begin the season at home at Estadi Johan Cruyff has tested the patience of many season ticket holders.

Within the club itself, several voices have been critical of how the return to the stadium has been handled. For now, however, no one dares to speak out publicly in order to avoid being singled out.

Not everyone is happy with how the Camp Nou situation is being handled. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Even a member of the board of directors, speaking privately and without a microphone, has admitted that the management of the return to the stadium should have been carried out in a very different way.

There has also been criticism from prospective presidential candidates with the elections coming up next year.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta, though, remains confident that the return to the Spotify Camp Nou will take place sooner rather than later.

“We are now in the final stages of the stadium. What remains is to continue the process from an administrative and official standpoint. We are very, very excited,” he said earlier this week.

Laporta further added: “I cannot pinpoint the exact moment because it depends on the permits that the responsible authorities must grant us.

“What we are doing is working, we are putting in everything that needs to be done to make this a reality as soon as possible.”