Club say magnitude of ongoing work on stadium made it “impossible” to meet the 10 August opening
Barcelona have postponed their return to the Camp Nou as planned on 10 August, after admitting the stadium is not yet ready to reopen.
The Catalan club had planned to host their traditional pre-season Joan Gamper Trophy at the stadium to mark their return, after two years of playing home matches at the Olympic Stadium in Montjuic.
However, ongoing construction has failed to reach a stage where they could secure an occupancy licence to open the stadium.
In a statement, Barcelona said they had tried but found it “impossible” to meet the requirements for a licence.
The club’s statement read: “FC Barcelona announces that it has postponed its first return match at the Spotify Camp Nou, which was scheduled to coincide with the Joan Gamper Trophy on 10 August.
“This decision is due to the fact that the execution of the work necessary to comply with the requirements of the Ordinance Regulating Municipal Intervention Procedures for Construction Works has made it impossible to complete the necessary procedures for granting the first occupancy license.
“Specifically, due to the magnitude of the work carried out, it has been impossible to comply with all the requirements established by the regulations governing obtaining said license, despite the Club’s desire to operate the Camp Nou Spotify in sections.”
The Gamper Trophy against Italian side Como will now need to be relocated. Barcelona have yet to announce an alternative venue.
