Camp Nou shines on first big night under the lights

In the 96th minute, after Atletico Madrid had just spurned their last big chance, Marc Casadó waved his arms in the air and urged supporters to roar their voices once more. The midfielder felt that the final onslaught of pressure from Atleti had been overcome, and wanted the fans to bask in the same satisfaction that he clearly felt in the moment. 

Scarves waved high in the air throughout the Camp Nou stadium, across all three sides of it that Barça are currently allowed to open, and the image was a glorious one for the Catalan club. Less than a minute later, Casadó’s sensation of having overcome the last big chance they would face from the visitors was confirmed, as Ferran Torres netted the Catalans’ third goal, confirming the win and the league leadership for another week with one of the last touches of the game. 

Tuesday was the first big night under the lights for the new Camp Nou stadium, and Barça’s iconic home ground shone for the occasion in a hard-fought 3-1 victory over fellow title challengers Atletico Madrid. 

It was another brilliant night for Lamine Yamal, who continues to thrive in the new stadium. He scored his first Camp Nou goal on Saturday but couldn’t add to the tally against Atleti, still, his mazy runs were a constant source of distress for the away team, provoking gasps of adoration from the stands time and time again. 

The previous two games at FC Barcelona’s newly refurbished stadium both came on sleepy afternoon, and despite the excitement of returning to the Camp Nou, the atmosphere during those games never really rose to the occasion and too often fell flat. 

Most clubs in Spanish football have a dedicated singing section inside the stadium, the ‘grada d’animació’, but Barça have been in dispute with the various fan groups that form their singing section for more than a year now. 

In spite of the improved atmosphere on Tuesday, the question still needs to be resolved. On Saturday, the most-repeated chant throughout was ‘volem la grada d’animació’ – we want the singing section back. 

Things were different on Tuesday. The Camp Nou was palpably noisier, the support a lot more spirited, and the occasion far greater for it. Throughout the stadium, chants appeared more frequently than over the weekend, and sung with more gusto by larger pockets of the stadium. 

Club president Joan Laporta said this week that he hopes to resolve the issue of the singing section this very month of December. It’s expected that they will be able to open that section of the ground when Barça get the 1C phase of the stadium permits, which would also allow for a capacity of around 62,000 at the matches, as opposed to the roughly 45,000 currently. 

Yet, opening the section is one thing, but who gets to take those spots and be in charge of creating a soundtrack to each game is another, as the dispute with the fan groups Almogàvers, Nostra Ensenya, Front 532, and Supporters Barça, collectively, is still unresolved. 

The section will be moved from the north goal in the old Camp Nou to the south goal now, with new safe-standing seats installed in the rows immediately behind the goal. 

Tuesday night proved that the fans can create an intimidating cauldron out of the Camp Nou when the ingredients are right, but in a game against a perceived lesser rival, where Barça are expected to stroll to victory with relative ease, that’s when the danger of a sedate climate could return, with the worst possible outcome being that sensation transmitting from the stands to the pitch.