Barcelona’s latest plans to return to the Spotify Camp Nou have encountered another obstacle.
The club has been granted the first licence needed for building and for those activities within the stadium, but this approval does not automatically mean that the fans will return to the stands.
The club is now awaiting the final decision from the Barcelona City Council on the other license, called the “initial occupancy license.”
This is the one that will gain safe entry for fans back into the Camp Nou. A response is due towards the end of this week, Thursday or Friday, but there is little optimism among sources within the club.
Contingency in place
Barcelona, however, are understood to be afraid that the city council will not grant them permission in time. Should the second licence be refused or delayed, the club may have to relocate the Gamper Trophy to Johan Cruyff Stadium.
The venue, which has a capacity of 6,000, is considerably smaller, and the event would feel a world away from a typical Camp Nou spectacle.
The first approval by the council last week was considered a step in the right direction, but not the full solution. Barcelona will not be getting back on the pitch at Camp Nou until they have the second license arrive.
The club knows that the final outcome could be bad either way. For now, the hope is that all of the requisite safety checks and paperwork will get done in time.
If not, then the Johan Cruyff Stadium will be the fall-back option for the Gamper game but it will still leave thousands of supporters let down.