BarcelonaThe Joan Gamper Trophy, which is contested today, would be another game in Barça’s pre-season calendar if it weren’t for the fact that it is the team’s debut in Montjuïc. With the Camp Nou upside down due to remodeling works, the club plays the first of fifty matches at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium, a field that was almost disused and has been adapted to receive the team Blaugrana with all the honors. The operators worked on the last day to make the final touches to the grass, the dressing rooms and the bleachers. Barça and Tottenham will take to the pitch at eight o’clock in the evening. But the big question is whether the stadium will be more or less full.
The Gamper is not included in the members’ season ticket, so it had been a low-attendance match at the stadium for many years. A trend that changed when Laporta’s board, in its first term, chose to invite rivals from more entities. The new sales techniques and the fact that ticket sales were aimed, in large part, at tourists, had allowed the field to present a good appearance and for the club to take advantage of this to make money. The highlight was the Barça-Arsenal match in 2019, the last Gamper before the pandemic, in which the record for attendance (98,812 spectators) and revenue was broken, with 4 million euros in the box.
This season’s figures are not comparable, because the capacity of Montjuïc is less than half that of Camp Nou. But Barça’s first match at the Magic Mountain showed that the field does not have the same appeal. Although the club have secured a big-name rival, Tottenham, interest has been much lower. According to official Barça sources, only 26,000 seats had been sold on Saturday evening. “These types of matches arouse interest at the last minute and we are confident of making a big sale on the same day,” say club sources. The forecast is to end up overcoming the barrier of 35,000 locations. “It won’t be full, but there will be a good turnout.”
The pricing policy has been quite aggressive. The cheapest tickets were those for the goal and cost between 49 and 59 euros. They are the only ones that have sold out, together with those in the lower part of the corner (69). Of the rest, the upper part of the corner (79), lateral (99 and 109) and tribune (124 and 139) are still available. Additionally, the buyer could choose a seat and get a ticket to the museum by paying 35 euros. Finally, there were also a few VIP seats, with access to catering and the noble area of the stadium, from 399 euros. Some tickets that, in large part, the club has been able to sell out.
Dembélé, with many numbers of not attending the Gamper
The Gamper is a friendly match and, therefore, the entire squad will be able to play it, despite the fact that there are still eight players (among signings and renewals) who have not been able to register for the League. One of the unknowns is whether Ousmane Dembélé will jump on the pitch or not. The French winger is negotiating with Paris Saint-Germain and the deal is expected to close this week. Meanwhile, the player is, for all intents and purposes, a Blaugrana. The club is working with the expectation that Dembélé will not be in Montjuïc, to avoid possible whistles at the time of his presentation, since this evening, before the game, is used to present the squad for the season. On the other hand, who will not be safe is Frank Kessie, who is finalizing his departure for Saudi Arabia.
2023-08-08 05:30:40
#success #Gamper #hands #tourists
