Barcelona race to return to Camp Nou, but UEFA rules could delay plans until 2025

FC Barcelona are in the middle of an historic transition, as the long-anticipated reopening of the new Camp Nou finally draws near, come what may. However, with change comes a number of expectations and several hurdles that must be jumped. In the news conference, the club's board made a disclosure of the progress of renovations of the stadium and is very confident that they will be playing their games there before the end of 2024. This might run in contrast to UEFA's rules, as posited by the Catalan newspaper "Sport," and therefore may put such a possibility in doubt.

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Rush-UEFA: A Scheduling Conflict?

By the regulations stipulated by UEFA, teams shall play the whole league phase of the Champions League in the same stadium, without variants in venue. That would imply Barça having to play all its starting matches at the Estadio Olímpico de Montjuïc, where they are temporarily based. The last match of the league phase is scheduled for January 29, 2025, and if the rule holds, that highly anticipated return to the Spotify Camp Nou won't be until February.

All in all, this issue is something more than a simple bureaucratic headache-it's about planning and logistics. If there is any optimism from the board of Barcelona, particularly vice-president Elena Fort, of going back to Camp Nou as soon as possible, UEFA might make it not that easy. Besides, managing two stadiums due to the high cost does not seem to feature in the club's plans either. As such, the return may only be in February 2025 during the playoffs or round of 16 of the Champions League-if qualifying directly.

New Camp Nou: Between Expectation and Reality

While fans eagerly await their "homecoming," Barcelona assures that construction at Camp Nou is moving at a fast pace. The stadium will have 62,000 seats provisionally and is to be partially ready for La Liga and Copa del Rey action by the end of December. A provisional project, though, was what the board underlined because improvements and adjustments keep going so that it could adjust to major competitions such as the Champions League.

Elena Fort claimed at the news conference that the objective is to return as soon as possible, although some issues need to be resolved and are quite out of their hands. "We want to return home as soon as we can. We're not planning to extend our stay at Montjuïc for the entire season," said Fort.

The club's operations director, Joan Centelles, made clear that the changes required to enable Camp Nou to return are already discussed with Barcelona's City Council and that all major security agencies gave the green light for the use of the stadium.

Uncertainties and Planning

While it may be necessary to return to Camp Nou, the board has done its due diligence to account for the fact that this will take a little more time. Centelles said they are strictly following their agreement with the builder Limaik, Montjuïc may well be used up until February or March of 2025, due to the safety required and the completion of certain phases of the renovation.

This cautious sentiment reflects the difficulty of such an ambitious project as Camp Nou modernization, which is engaged not only in building a stadium but in infrastructure transformation in general. There will be 200 parking spaces assigned for commitments and operational needs, along with temporary access points and adjusted security systems.

Ticket Distribution: Problems and Solutions

Another topic brought up and discussed during the news conference was the one regarding tickets and season passes. Given that the capacity of Camp Nou has been reduced for the current season, the club will have some savvy decisions to make regarding how it allots seats among its supporters. Only 45,000 out of the 62,000 available will be bound for La Liga and Copa del Rey matches, with 40,000 to be assigned in the Champions League Round of 16. The rest will be for visiting supporters and institutional commitments.

Barça opened the request period for passes from October 11 to 23, guaranteeing priority-in automatic reservation-to those fans that had bought the pass for Montjuïc for the season 2023-24. In case the requests outnumber the available spots, a lottery will take place on October 24, excluding those people that already have a reservation.

This approach has been fundamental in maintaining the active participation of the members during this transition phase without severing ties with the club. Indeed, Barça perceives its own strand of fans as the biggest asset and the bonding thereof-continuing in times of change-is important for long-term success.