Khaberni - A Spanish press report revealed today, Tuesday, about Barcelona's intention to play the upcoming La Liga match against Girona at the Montjuic stadium.
Barcelona is preparing to face Girona in the league, after the end of the international break, in the ninth round of La Liga.
According to the Catalan newspaper "Sport", Barcelona has not yet received permission to play in Camp Nou due to ongoing construction work at the stadium, which is Barça's main stronghold.
Barcelona has been playing its home games since the beginning of the current season at the Montjuic and Johan Cruyff stadiums.
It is scheduled that Barcelona will play its next match in the UEFA Champions League against Olympiacos at Montjuic stadium as well, a match that precedes the Clasico against Real Madrid directly.
Barcelona has not played any match at Camp Nou for more than two seasons due to extensive renovation operations at the stadium.
Barcelona suffered a stunning loss in its last match before the league break against its guest from Andalusia, Sevilla, with a score of 4-1, in the eighth round of La Liga.
Barcelona occupies the second position in the Spanish league table, two points behind the leader Real Madrid.
The final capacity of Camp Nou is expected to reach 105,000 spectators.
It was scheduled for the stadium to open in November 2024, but development works were delayed several times.
The city's fire department stated that there are still problems with evacuation routes, among other safety concerns.
The Catalan team, coached by German Hansi Flick, played its matches away from home during the first three weeks of the Spanish league season, to allow sufficient time to prepare the stadium before reopening.
Then, Barcelona hosted Valencia and Getafe at Johan Cruyff stadium, which has a total capacity of approximately 6,000 spectators, next to its training ground.
The cost of rebuilding Camp Nou by Barcelona is estimated at 1.5 billion euros (1.75 billion dollars).
Camp Nou History
Camp Nou is considered one of the world's most prominent sports landmarks, not only as the official stadium of Barcelona FC but also because it has become a football and cultural symbol reflecting the identity of the Catalan city.
The stadium was officially opened on September 24, 1957, with a friendly match between Barcelona and Legia Warsaw from Poland, which witnessed a huge crowd at that time, starting a long journey associated with achievements and everlasting memories.
The idea of building the stadium dates back to the 1950s, when Barcelona officials felt that the "Les Corts" stadium, which hosted the team's matches, was no longer able to accommodate the growing number of Catalan fans.
The decision to build Camp Nou was to be a giant project befitting the club that was expanding both sports-wise and fan-base-wise.
Indeed, the construction took three years at a significant cost at the time, amounting to about 288 million Spanish pesetas.
Since its inauguration, the stadium has hosted many major events, notably the 1999 UEFA Champions League final between Manchester United and Bayern Munich, considered one of the most exciting finals in history after Manchester United's comeback, winning 2-1 in the last moments.
Camp Nou was also a venue for hosting some of the 1982 World Cup matches in Spain, in addition to hosting football competitions in the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics.
For Barcelona, Camp Nou has been linked with a legendary trajectory of some of the greatest football players, such as Johan Cruyff, Diego Maradona, Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol, and Dani Alves, who dazzled on its grounds across different decades.
The stadium has witnessed the club's local and European achievements, especially during the historical coaching era of Pep Guardiola, when he led the "Red and Blue" team to achieve a historic sextuple in 2009.
Camp Nou is also known for its enormous fan capacity, having exceeded at some points the barrier of 120,000 spectators before being later reduced to about 99,000 fans, for safety reasons.
Despite this, it remained the largest in Europe and one of the most filled stadiums with fans in various seasons, being a beloved place for Catalan fans, combining sports and belonging.
Over the decades, Camp Nou has not just been a football stadium, but has become a platform for expressing the unique identity of the people of Catalonia, especially during periods of social movement in the province.
The south stand of the stadium, known as "Gol Sud", was a symbol for gatherings of enthusiastic Catalan fans, who never cease their chants and songs in support of the famous club.
Today, with the ongoing modernization and development project, Barcelona aims to turn Camp Nou into a modern architectural masterpiece that meets the requirements of modern football, with an increase in seating and development of facilities to provide an exceptional experience for the attending fans.
