Barça delays return to Camp Nou until they have license for 45,000 capacity

FC Barcelona's Camp Nou return saga rumbles on. 

The Catalan club have now announced that they are postponing the return to their home stadium until they obtain the license for phase 1B, which will allow them to host matches with a capacity of 45,000 fans. 

The blaugrana had been first working towards a phase 1A permi which would have allow only up to 27,000 spectators in the Tribuna and Gol stands. Now, they are giving up on this stage of the return, and will instead stay in Montjuïc until 45,000 fans can attend matches in the Camp Nou. 

The delays in obtaining the 1A license have placed the deadline very close to the 1B license, which would mean the Lateral stand would be open alongside the Tribuna and Gol areas.

In the same announcement, Barça confirmed that the next league match, a Catalan derby against Girona on October 18, will be played at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium in Montjuïc.

This latest announcement comes after Barça first announced they would return to the Camp Nou before the end of 2024, in the spring of 2025, for the Gamper Trophy Game on August 10, and then for their first home game of this season, against Valencia in September. 

Games against Valencia and Getafe were played at the 6,000-capacity Estadi Johan Cruyff, located in the club's training facilities, as neither the Camp Nou nor Montjuïc was prepared to host matches. 

Creditors demand guarantees

Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia reported on Tuesday that investors financing the reconstruction project are demanding new guarantees from the club over the delays. 

The delays have meant that it's likely that Barça will not pay the initial €44 million interest payments scheduled for the end of this year, La Vanguardia say, something dependent on the stadium being at least partially open.

Club president Joan Laporta had agreed with the creditors a return schedule of September for La Liga games and December for European clashes, and now investors are demanding new guarantees, but with an air of "relative calm," the news outlet reports.

Financial institutions and insurers are financing the operation with a loan of approximately €1.45 billion.