Barcelona president insists Camp Nou ready for reopening – ‘Ball is in City Council’s court’ | OneFootball

In an interview on RAC1 (h/t Mundo Deportivo), FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta stated that this afternoon, the Barcelona City Council must decide whether to grant authorisation for next Sunday’s match vs Real Sociedad to be played at the Spotify Camp Nou.

The return to the Spotify Camp Nou is at a crucial stage, and the matter is a top priority for the club and its president.

Laporta returned at five in the morning from Paris together with the full Barça delegation. The party, led by him, attended the Ballon d’Or Gala, which saw Aitana Bonmatí crowned and Barça’s young star Lamine Yamal finish in second place.

Following that, he granted the interview, during which Laporta referred to the eagerly awaited reopening of the stadium.

Barcelona hope to secure the First Occupancy Licence today in order to host Real Sociedad on Sunday at the Spotify Camp Nou with 27,000 members present, as foreseen in the first phase of the return. This phase would open the Tribune and South Goal areas.

According to Laporta: “The ball is now in the City Council’s court.”

“We have several options,” said the president. “We have presented the Final Construction Certificate and the certificate from Dekra, the body that must assess safety. We also have the fire brigade’s report, the environmental assessment… everything is positive.”

Laporta insists Camp Nou is ready to host matches. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Continuing, he said: “The ball is in the City Council’s court. We need the licence for sporting and economic reasons. Today, the press will visit the facilities. We do not want mistakes, and we have complied.”

Revealing that the stadium had received approval from La Liga and UEFA, Laporta added: “La Liga and UEFA have said the stadium is fit to host matches. Today at four in the afternoon, the City Council will hold another review, and we are waiting.”

If the council does not grant the licence, the first team would play the sixth matchday of LaLiga at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, he confirmed.

“Where will we play on Sunday? We will decide based on what they tell us. We need the First Occupancy Licence today, but if we do not get it, then we will decide whether to play at the Estadi Olímpic or at the Johan Cruyff,” said Laporta.

“Everything points to the Lluís Companys, where we will also play the Champions League match against PSG.”

Concluding, Laporta reiterated: “We want to return to the Camp Nou as soon as possible and as soon as we can. We need the First Occupancy Licence.”