Renovation work on the Nou Camp began in 2023, but Barcelona’s return to their iconic ground has been repeatedly delayed and new footage has emerged of the current state of the stadium
Footage has emerged of the £1.25billion renovation work that is currently being carried out on Barcelona’s iconic Nou Camp stadium. The renovations began in 2023 and Barcelona have been playing at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys ever since.
The club were hoping that work would have been completed in time for Barcelona’s 125th anniversary celebrations in November 2024, but it has been dogged by delays. And new time-lapse footage showing the ongoing work has sparked further concern over when Barcelona will be able to return to the Nou Camp.
According to Mundo Deportivo, there is an agreement in place for Barcelona to remain at the Olympic Stadium for the remainder of the season despite hopes they could return for an El Clasico clash with rivals Real Madrid on May 11.
In the footage, you can see seats being installed as work continues through the night. Reports have claimed that the turf will be laid in April, but there is no news on when the roof will be installed.
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Barcelona’s vice-president Elena Fort told Spanish radio station RAC1 in January: “As of today we do not have a return date… We will return when we can. The first forecasts were tight and have been deviated by problems with labour and supplies, as well as unforeseen damage to the second tier.
“All of this has added up and has made the date we had initially set fail. The penalty for delay is there, but all situations will be analysed at the end of the works and at that time we will assess whether they can be charged to the construction company or not to claim them.”
The redevelopment will increase the Nou Camp’s capacity to 105,000, with the stadium the biggest in Europe. Barcelona did consider building a brand new ground, but decided in 2014 that it would prove too expensive.
“It has been an important decision for the club – the most important in the last 50 years,” then club president Sandro Rosell said. “The option of building a new stadium on a new site has been dismissed as the final cost could have saddled the club and its members with debt and tied the hands of future boards of directors.
“This was a difficult decision, both options were very attractive but we decided to go ahead and stay. The Camp Nou is part of our collective memory. It is the largest stadium in Europe and is an icon of the city of Barcelona.”
Manchester United, however, have decided to spend £2billion on building a new stadium to replace Old Trafford. They unveiled plans earlier this month that involve knocking down Old Trafford and constructing a new ground on the existing site.
“Today marks the start of an incredibly exciting journey to the delivery of what will be the world’s greatest football stadium, at the centre of a regenerated Old Trafford,” United’s co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe said.
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