Barcelona's Camp Nou return still up in the air with no date announced

FC Barcelona's return to the Camp Nou is still up in the air, with no date announced by the city council at a press conference on Tuesday.

Earlier, club president Joan Laporta claimed in an interview with Catalunya Ràdio that the Spotify Camp Nou "is ready to host games."

However, in a sharp contrast to Laporta's remarks, representatives from Barcelona City Council told media that there were still pending safety concerns to be addressed, especially around evacuation routes, before the stadium could be granted the relevant licences to reopen. 

Deputy Mayor Laia Bonet said the council wants the stadium to reopen "as soon as possible" but stressed that "guaranteeing the safety of fans" was their priority.

The Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium at Montjuïc will host Barcelona's league match against Real Sociedad on Sunday at 6:30pm, ahead of the grand reopening of the iconic Magic Fountain as part of the city's La Mercè celebrations.

Significant shortcoming

Barcelona City Council is still withholding the first occupancy licence for the renovated Spotify Camp Nou, citing serious safety and accessibility issues.

Officials say some of the final construction reports don't match the original building permit or the work that's actually been carried out.

Although the first phase of the rebuild is nearing completion – which would allow 27,000 fans into the stadium – city authorities haven't given any opening date, saying it is up to the club to address the outstanding issues.

Some of the problems include: evacuation routes that are too narrow or blocked by construction fencing, railings that are too low, inadequate emergency signage, unfinished stairways, and the inability of emergency vehicles to circle the entire stadium.

Following the city council's press conference, FC Barcelona released a statement saying they "continue working to obtain the necessary administrative permits for the opening of Spotify Camp Nou in the coming months."

Laporta: Camp Nou "ready"

The press conference from the city council came a few hours after FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta told Catalunya Ràdio that the Spotify Camp Nou was "ready to host games."

"We have followed all the required procedures, we have already submitted the certificate of completion of works," Laporta said.

"The stadium is ready, as Spain's LaLiga and UEFA have already said. However, I do not want to put any pressure on because these processes take time, and it is now the city council who has the ball in their court," he added.

Laporta spoke hours after FC Barcelona player Aitana Bonmatí won her third consecutive Ballon d'Or, and Lamine Yamal and Vicky López winning the Kopa Trophy. Ewa Pajor also won for finishing the top scorer in Europe.

Return delayed

Barça officially announced initially they would return to Camp Nou on August 10 to play the Gamper Trophy. The match was instead played at the Johan Cruyff Stadium, next to the club's training facilities with a capacity for 6,000 people, and where the women's team competes.

The club had hoped to play their first La Liga home game at the new Camp Nou, but that was also held at the Johan Cruyff.

They have already announced that they will play their first home game of the UEFA Champions League against PSG at the Olympic Stadium in Montjuïc.