Inside Barcelona’s Camp Nou chaos: What is happening and why?

November 2024 was expected to beryllium the expansive reopening of a rebuilt and resplendent Camp Nou for Barcelona’s 125th anniversary, but 10 months aboriginal the stadium is inactive shuttered amid reconstruction chaos.

When Barcelona pulled the curtain down connected their expansive but decaying Camp Nou stadium successful May 2023, they anticipated being capable to reopen it a year-and-a-half later.

But the deadline came and went — arsenic did others successful the outpouring of 2025 and past August. The curtain stayed closed, the chaos mounted.

Optimism was precocious that Barca could commencement their location run this play astatine their spruced up stadium and La Liga adjacent helped retired by agreeing to docket their archetypal 3 matches distant from the Camp Nou to springiness them much time.

But having moved retired of their impermanent location for the erstwhile 2 years — the city’s 55,000-capacity Olympic stadium — Barcelona were forced into the farcical determination of holding their archetypal 2 location matches astatine their 6,000 capableness Johan Cruyff grooming crushed stadium.

That unsocial outgo them an estimated much than 4 cardinal euros ($4.7 million).

And connected Tuesday, Barca suffered a caller stroke arsenic the metropolis assembly delayed granting the nine a licence to reopen the crushed with a reduced 27,000 capableness owed to problems with evacuation routes.

“This metropolis assembly indispensable warrant the information of everyone who wants to spell to the stadium — this is the priority,” said the Barcelona mayor’s deputy.

Barca person astatine slightest secured entree to the Olympic stadium for Sunday’s league crippled against Real Sociedad and the Champions League clash with title-holders Paris Saint-Germain adjacent Wednesday.

But thereafter, president Joan Laporta — ever the optimist — is hoping to unafraid the licence successful clip to look Girona connected October 18 astatine the Camp Nou.

– ‘Things missing’ –

Since operation enactment began, the nine has faced a fig of issues.

Two changing rooms had to beryllium rebuilt doubly due to the fact that of flooding. Objections from neighbours forced tighter regularisation of moving hours due to the fact that of sound and airy pollution, portion worldly costs rose, successful portion owed to Russia’s penetration of Ukraine.

The 2 little tiers of the archetypal stadium, opened successful 1957, were maintained but implicit 2,000 much modifications were needed than expected.

Barcelona are estimated to beryllium paying 1.5 cardinal euros ($1.75 billion) for the project, and the quicker they tin reopen, the sooner they tin commencement generating gross from the stadium.

The financially-stricken nine are keen for the VIP spot income already secured to beryllium included connected their books to comply with La Liga’s fiscal just play rules.

Barcelona organization vice-president Elena Fort and their operations main Joan Sentelles showed media, including AFP, astir the caller stadium connected Tuesday.

When they tin yet return, fans volition find the seating and transportation country to beryllium impressive, spacious and comfortable, a wide upgrade connected what was determination before, adjacent with the 3rd tier, the apical ringing astir the stadium, yet to beryllium built.

Yet stepping backmost from the pitch, interior areas are unfinished.

The archetypal squad dressing country is not yet built and 2 visiting ones that person been person exposed pipes successful the ceiling and nary paintwork.

“There are things missing, specified arsenic coating walls and decoration, but adjacent if determination are deficiencies, we recognize that, arsenic agelong arsenic information is not compromised, the archetypal occupancy licence tin beryllium issued. The stadium is acceptable to play in,” said Fort.

Although evacuation is simply a occupation successful the short-term to get their permit, successful the semipermanent the Camp Nou is successful a acold amended presumption than it was.

It volition instrumentality four-and-a-half minutes to evacuate the stadium astatine implicit capacity, explained Sentelles, alternatively than the erstwhile eight.

Capacity volition yet beryllium raised from 99,000 to 105,000, with the Camp Nou the lone stadium successful Europe to scope six figures.

Because of the delays truthful far, the anticipated anterior completion day of 2026 volition not beryllium hit, and the stadium extortion — a task called the “big lift” — volition not beryllium installed until the summertime of 2027.

According to Spanish media, Barcelona whitethorn gain importantly little connected their 70 cardinal euros-a-season woody with Spotify if the stadium...