The long -awaited return of FC Barcelona to Camp Nou could once again be rejected. While the reception of Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League is fast approaching, the Blaugrana still have no certainty of being able to welcome the European champion in their mythical stadium. The delays accumulated in the renovation of Camp Nou already force the club to consider a plan B.
A still partially closed camp
According to Mundo DeportivoBarça hopes to obtain the necessary certificate in time to reopen its enclosure against Real Sociedad at the end of September. But even in the event of green light, only 27,000 spectators could be admitted, a gauge far from the usual standards. For the meeting against Paris, the problem is even more thorny: part of the stadium, capable of accommodating 45,000 people, would remain closed, making such a poster impossible under the conditions required by UEFA.
PSG and the European body have been warned of a possible change of place in order to avoid any logistical confusion. In the meantime, the Barcelonais continue to juggle between the Johan Cruyff and Montjuïc stadium, provisional solutions for more than a year. This uncertainty is not without consequences: the club estimates that it has already lost almost 90 million euros in income for lack of being able to exploit its historic enclosure.
A question of image and prestige for Barça
Joan Laporta had promised that the renovation of Camp Nou would be the pillar of the club's economic project. But between administrative deadlines, missing licenses and endless sites, the patience of socios is put to the test. After having moved the Gamper trophy and several Liga games, the president finds himself forced to explain why the enclosure is still not ready to welcome the big European evenings.
Beyond the financial issues, a possible relocation of the shock against PSG would have a strong symbolic impact. The whole of Europe awaits this duel of prestige, and seeing Barcelona playing him away from his Camp Nou would recall how much the club is still struggling to turn the page on its structural difficulties. For Laporta, the urgency is clear: to give the Barça a stadium worthy of its ambitions.
