Barcelona President Joan Laporta sets fresh date for Camp Nou return | OneFootball

Barcelona President Joan Laporta has given a fresh date for their return to Camp Nou, which could take place around the club’s 126th anniversary, almost a year to the day late from their original plan. Nevertheless, it would not be the first time Barcelona have been forced to walk back a public announcement on their return to Spotify Camp Nou.

The Catalan giants already have a licence to reopen the ground to 27,000 people, but will not play matches there again until they can host at least 45,000 fans, making it more lucrative than playing at Montjuic. This Friday Barcelona have an open training session planned at Camp Nou, for which they have sold out 23,000 tickets.

“There’s a lot of excitement about Camp Nou. We’re very grateful to the members and fans for their enthusiasm. Selling out all the tickets is great news. It’s a test that needs to be done. This training session will help us understand how all the aspects of organising a football match will work,” he told MD from Belgium.

‘Barring any unforeseen circumstances’ – Laporta reveals date

Laporta did announce a date for a potential return too, explaining it would occur either against Athletic Club or Alaves the following week.

“November 22nd or 29th. It has been confirmed that everything is ready, and we will now conduct a public test to verify this. Barring unforeseen circumstances, the return will take place on November 22nd or 29th.”

‘We have to protect Lamine Yamal’

Meanwhile there has been a hot spotlight trained on Lamine Yamal this season, and Laporta called on the club to ensure they protect the 18-year-old. The teenager’s number of off-pitch commitments have seemingly drawn concern from the club in recent weeks, as he battles a chronic groin injury.

Image via Alex Caparros/Getty Images

“He’s a genius and a fantastic young man. At Barca, we’re very lucky to produce players like him. We have to take care of him and protect him. With all the fame that’s come his way suddenly, he’s handling it naturally. He’s a key player, and we’ll always be by his side.”

Barcelona are still looking some way off their best this season, and are recovering from defeat in El Clasico. After a 3-1 win over Elche on Sunday, Laporta claimed that things were getting better though.

“We’ve discussed it with the manager. The team is improving, it’s on an upward trajectory. On Sunday, all three forwards (Lamine, Ferran, and Rashford) scored, and we’re happy with the progress. We have some absences, which isn’t an excuse, but it’s a reality. These absences disrupted our plans, but now the injured players are recovering, and we’re making progress little by little.”