Spanish champions Barcelona have postponed their return to the club's renovated "Camp Nou" stadium after failing to obtain the necessary safety license in time, BTA reported.
The renovated stadium was supposed to mark Barca's return on August 10 for the traditional pre-season match for the "Joan Gamper" trophy, but since the stadium renovations are not yet fully completed and local authorities have not issued a license, the club has been forced to move the match to the "Estadio Johan Cruyff".
The club has played the last two seasons at the "Louis Kompany" Olympic Stadium, after the reconstruction of the "Camp Nou" began in the summer of 2023 to The capacity has been increased to 105,000. The project is estimated to cost around £495 million.
In a statement, the club said: "This decision is due to the fact that the work required to comply with the requirements of the Municipal Works Regulations made it impossible to complete the procedures required to issue the initial licence. In particular, due to the scale of the work carried out, it was not possible to meet all the conditions set out in the regulations governing this licence, despite the club's intention to reopen the reconstructed stadium in stages.“
Barcelona have not set a new date for the team's return to their home ground. Barca's first three La Liga matches are away games, with the first home match against Valencia on 14 September.
Barca's opponent for the “Joan Gamper“ trophy has not yet been confirmed.
"Estadi Johan Cruyff“ hosts the matches of the Barcelona women's team and has a capacity of 6,000 people.