Barcelona denied Camp Nou return as club announces second change of stadium | OneFootball

Barcelona will not be returning to Camp Nou on Sunday, after the City Council denied the Blaugrana their licence to reopen the stadium. The Catalan giants are attempting to return to Spotify Camp Nou with a capacity of 27,000, as they continue renovation work on their home stadium.

President Joan Laporta and Institutional Vice-President Elena Fort had both declared hopes of the licence that the club needs to open the stadium again on Tuesday, but those hopes have been in vain. As reported by Sport, the Council have not granted them that permission due to security reasons.

‘It’s not up to us to set a date’ – City Council

Deputy Mayor Laia Bonet explained to the Catalan paper that while the end is in sight for Barcelona, they did not have the sufficient measures in place to be able to reopen the ground.

We are at the end of the first phase, which will culminate in the licensing process, but we need to ensure that all safety conditions are met.” Bonet pointed out that it was not their duty to give deadlines and dates.

Image via RTVE

“We share Barça’s desire for a successful and swift return. But this City Council must guarantee the safety of fans. This is our priority. We must ensure that the technicians can work rigorously.”

Security issues at the heart of decision

Meanwhile an unnamed source from the Council explained the key issues that were preventing the stadium from being given the green light.

“We’re in the verification phase. These are mainly deficiencies in the evacuation exits and the clearing of the camp. There’s a failure to comply with regulations. There are also accessibility issues that affect the safety of evacuation traffic: poor signage, handrails, poorly finished stairs. Vehicle accessibility… but there’s a lot of work done, and we don’t expect it to be a lengthy process. It’s not a huge amount, but we think we can resolve them quickly.”

Barcelona announce return to Montjuic

Image via FC Barcelona

After the Council’s confirmation that the ground could not be opened, Barcelona announced that their next game would be taking place at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys at Montjuic. The Blaugrana will face Real Sociedad on Sunday night at home, while UEFA had already confirmed their Champions League match on the 1st of October against Paris Saint-Germain would be there too.

On their return to Camp Nou, Barcelona said that they would continue working to resolve the issues raised by the Council, thanking an increasingly impatient fanbase for their support and understanding.