Barcelona will have to delay their return to a renovated Camp Nou after the city council denied their request for a key permit Tuesday.
The Spanish champions had hoped to host Real Sociedad on Sunday in La Liga with a reduced crowd of 27,000.
Instead, the Catalans will play at the Olympic Stadium on Montjuic hill, the venue they used during the past two seasons while Camp Nou was under renovation.
“The club continues to work on obtaining the necessary administrative permits for the opening of Spotify Camp Nou in the coming weeks,” Barcelona said in a statement.
“Currently, the club is working on the new amendments that the council shared today.”
The city’s fire department cited problems with evacuation routes and other safety concerns.
“We share the club’s desire to return as soon as possible, but this city council must guarantee the safety of everyone who wants to go to the stadium – this is the priority,” said Laia Bonet, Barcelona’s deputy mayor.
“We will have maximum collaboration with the club so they can resolve the outstanding issues. We will not take a month or a minute longer than necessary to grant the initial occupancy license when we have all we need.”
“Just because it’s not finished doesn’t mean it’s not safe,” Barcelona operations director Joan Sentelles told reporters Tuesday during a stadium tour.
He also said the roof will be installed in the summer of 2027, a year later than originally planned. The stadium was supposed to reopen in November 2024, but the date has been pushed back several times.
Barcelona played away for the first three weeks of the season to allow time for the stadium to be prepared for reopening.
They then hosted Valencia and Getafe at the 6,000-capacity Johan Cruyff Stadium next to their training ground while still awaiting permission to reopen Camp Nou.
Barcelona is estimated to be spending 1.5 billion euros ($1.75 billion) on the Camp Nou rebuild.
