BarcelonaThe government has stepped back and banned public access to the Gamper, he said The morning of Catalunya Ràdio and has been able to confirm the ARA. One week after agreeing with Barça to allow fans access to the Camp Nou with a capacity of 20%, the Generalitat has decided that the matches of August 8 against the women’s and men’s teams of Juventus will be played the door closed. The Barça team, which was about to run out of available seats, has temporarily suspended its sale.
The decision of the Government is a very hard setback for Barça, which had to earn around one million euros with this match, only with the tickets. A much lower income than it could have obtained under normal conditions, but which was received like the water of May in the Barça treasury, badly damaged as a result of the pandemic and the forced closure of the Camp Nou. Moreover, if he does not get the Generalitat to change his mind, now the club will have to return the money to the fans.
Upset Barça
At the moment, Barça expect to receive the official news from Procicat. “We want to know how they will justify it. It is not understood that all kinds of outdoor concerts can be held but that people cannot come to the stadium,” they point out from the entity. As expected, the news has caused a great deal of outrage in Barça’s offices. “To say that there will be 20,000 people may seem like a lot, but in the vastness of the Camp Nou it is very little,” they add from the entity.
Totally dissatisfied with the decision, Barça are waiting for the justification to decide what the next step will be. From the noble zone it was not ruled out, even, to initiate a dialogue with the Generalitat to try to redirect the situation. “For now, we receive the letter. Then we will decide,” they point out. In any case, it is clear that Barça will exhaust all possible avenues so that the Gamper can play with fans in the stands.
Procicat’s decision comes after a tug-of-war with the club. Barça, who had already agreed to play Gamper on August 8 with Juventus, were confident that they could open the stadium to 50% of their capacity. To his surprise, Procicat refused and decided that if they wanted to play, they would have to do so without spectators. But Joan Laporta’s management moved the threads and agreed on a capacity of 20%. Lower than its initial pretensions, but a starting point that allowed, at least, to re-enter some euro with the sale of seats.
Accesses, big problem
According to club sources, the Procicat was not so worried about the presence of the public during the match – the Camp Nou is an open space and each town has a seat – but with the crowds at the entrances and exits. The club had proposed that, both at the beginning and at the end, spectators move in time slots to precisely avoid queues and the risk of infection. However, with the fifth wave of the pandemic and the increase in hospitalizations, the Government has opted for the most drastic route.
In this way, the return of the fans to the Barça stadium, which has been closed to the public since March 2020, is frustrated. A week later, on Sunday 15, the League begins and Barça also play at home. against the Royal Society. Interestingly, the txuri-urdin are the last club to play at the Camp Nou with spectators. In the coming days it will be known whether the match will be with people in the stands or will remain behind closed doors.
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