When will FC Barcelona return to Camp Nou? Conflicting information from club and city
source: StadiumDB.com; author: Paulina Skóra
FC Barcelona's vice president, Elena Fort, has recently become active in the media to emphasize the efficiency of the company Limak and the adherence to deadlines, aiming for the club to return to Camp Nou in December, despite concerns expressed by the Barcelona City Council.
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Vice president assures
According to vice president Elena Fort, the new Barcelona stadium will be ready
to host matches at the end of this year, though at 60% capacity. The work is progressing according to the planned schedule. Our initial goal was November 29, when we celebrate the club's 125th anniversary. However, we need a few more days, but we can confirm today that the stadium will be ready for games by the end of the year,
said Elena Fort in an interview with the EFE agency.
Communication issues?
The newspaper Ara revealed that the FC Barcelona board has a completely different vision regarding the departure from Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc. Barcelona Municipal Services (BSM), managing the city's facilities, have been trying for weeks to obtain details about FC Barcelona's planned departure from the stadium but have received only silence in response. It seems that even they themselves are not clear about it,
said a source. Until last week, BSM representatives knew only that the first official match of the new season would take place on Saturday, August 24. This information did not come from Barcelona but was recorded in the league calendar. However, another match is planned before that.
The lack of communication creates problems for BSM, which must adequately prepare the stadium, including organizing staff for match days. This cannot be done overnight.
BSM needs to know the exact date when Barça will leave the stadium to plan the dismantling of football-specific infrastructure and prepare the venue for other events. City authorities acknowledge that extending Barça's stay at Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc would not be good news but guarantee that the club can play there as long as needed, provided they pay.
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Potential penalties?
The company Limak, through its engineering teams working at Camp Nou, has requested that Barça have a margin of delays extending to the entire 2024/25 season, not just a few months. The board firmly refused, partly because playing at Montjuïc means significant revenue losses. This is not good news for the entity responsible for the investment.
Limak faces a penalty for not meeting deadlines. In negotiations, we secured the construction company's commitment to meeting the deadlines. Yes, there is a penalty if 60% of the stadium is not completed by the end of the year. This is one of many existing clauses, and if the time comes, we will have to enforce it, but I think it won't be necessary,
said the club's vice president.
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