Barcelona to face Real Sociedad at Montjuic after Camp Nou safety concerns

Barcelona will play Sunday’s match against Real Sociedad at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Montjuic as their Camp Nou return continues to be delayed.

The city council confirmed on Tuesday that the Spanish side’s home ground will not be available for the weekend’s La Liga fixture. Instead, they will play at the 55-000 capacity ground across the city for the first time this season, having hosted games at the venue over the past two seasons during Camp Nou refurbishments.

“We have spotted different elements that need to be fixed and have an impact in the safety and security of the stadium,” chief of civil protection Sebastia Massague said in a city council meeting on Tuesday.

“Some of those elements are in the access routes to the stadium, to ensure all the fans can attend at the stadium.”

The Catalan side also will play their Champions League game against Paris Saint-Germain at the Montjuic site on October 1, as confirmed on September 18, as their home ground return date continues to be delayed. Barcelona have not played at the Camp Nou since they started its €1.5billion refurbishment of the ground and surrounding area in June 2023.

“We share the same will with the club, which is that Barca can return to the stadium as soon as possible,” Barcelona’s deputy mayor Laia Bonet said in the council meeting. “But the city council needs to guarantee the safety of every fan attending to the stadium.

“This is our priority. We have to make sure all the professionals and technicians can work as rigorously as possible.”

Barcelona have played their last two home games at the 6,000-capacity Estadi Johan Cryuff, where their women’s and reserve teams play. They had been unable to play at Montjuic due to a Post Malone concert that took place at the ground on September 12.

Their original plan was to reopen the refurbished Camp Nou at a reduced capacity in November 2024, but that target was missed. This summer Barca said they wanted to host the Joan Gamper Trophy there in early August but that was not possible either. Nor was the Camp Nou ready in time for their first La Liga home game on September 14.

(Photo: Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)