Barça is still unable to reopen Camp Nou due to "critical security deficiencies."

Barcelona City Council will not issue a first occupancy permit for Camp Nou, FC Barcelona's new stadium, which is still under construction. This will prevent the club from hosting football matches again until the club corrects "critical safety deficiencies" that do not comply with the building permit. In any case, First Deputy Mayor Laia Bonet stated that they share the club's desire to have a "successful" reopening "as soon as possible."

Once confirmed that the venue for next Sunday's Barcelona-Real Sociedad match will be the Estadio Olímpico Lluís Companys , which will also host the Champions League match against PSG, the team managed by Hansi Flick will not play another home game until October 18 against Girona.

Despite Barça's assurances this Tuesday at midday, through its institutional vice president, Elena Fort , that the stadium was "the safest in Spain" and that all the documentation had been submitted, this afternoon the council explained otherwise, as, for example, they have observed fences that impede the smooth evacuation of the stadium, or poor security signage, as examples of some of the incidents that need to be fixed.

Following an information meeting also attended by security forces such as the Fire Brigade and the Urban Guard, the council made it clear that despite working daily with Barça's technical services, during the latest visit to the construction site they detected several rectifiable issues, but that, as of today, for reasons of "rigor" and "safety," it is impossible for the Spotify Camp Nou to reopen its doors.

Phase 1A for 27,000 spectators

To this end, for the new coliseum to receive the initial occupancy permit required for its reopening, City Council technicians must receive new documentation from Barça certifying that these safety deficiencies, which also affect other smaller areas, have been corrected. Municipal technicians can then inspect them on-site to give the green light.

As soon as the City Council sees that the facilities, despite the stadium still being under construction since only the license for a first phase would be granted -phase 1A , with capacity for 27,000 spectators-, meet the necessary requirements and with the building license, it would grant the first occupancy license and, with it in its possession, the club could already use the Spotify Camp Nou, whose construction began more than two years ago, at the end of 2022.

Speaking to the media after the briefing, Bonet offered some conclusions. "This City Council must guarantee the safety of fans; that's our priority. The safety of everyone who wants to come to the stadium," he stated.

evacuation routes

Furthermore, Bonet asserted that municipal technicians must be able to work rigorously on such a complex issue, adding that they have and will continue to have the club's "maximum collaboration" to resolve these outstanding issues. "We want the return to Camp Nou to be a success, and as soon as possible. We won't take a minute longer than necessary to issue the license once we have every guarantee that the safety conditions for people are met," he concluded.

For his part, Barcelona Fire Chief Sebastià Massagué offered more details. "We have detected elements that affect safety. They primarily affect the evacuation routes. These elements must be fixed so that people who go to the stadium can do so safely. To put the stadium back into operation, and so that a normal exit can be carried out in accordance with the requirements of the initial plan. We have detected elements that must be corrected before we can grant the license," he stated.