Champions League: Barca to meet Frankfurt at renovated stadium
The Spanish champion will host Eintracht Frankfurt at the Camp Nou on December 9, just over two weeks after reinaugurating the stadium against Athletic Bilbao in domestic action on November 22.
Credit: AP
BARCELONA: UEFA has given Barcelona the go-ahead to play Champions League matches at its partially rebuilt Camp Nou stadium, the La Liga giant said on Thursday.
The news comes just a couple of days after Barca announced its long-awaited return to league action at the stadium, which had been beset by construction chaos, after more than two years in exile.
The Spanish champion will host Eintracht Frankfurt at the Camp Nou on December 9, just over two weeks after reinaugurating the stadium against Athletic Bilbao in domestic action on November 22.
Barcelona said in a statement that “UEFA accepted the request, considering that all the necessary requirements have been met.”
The Camp Nou return will end a messy saga in which Barcelona repeatedly had to postpone its announced reopening of the stadium as construction delays and a failure to secure safety licences curtailed their plans.
The Catalans were humiliatingly forced to play two matches at their 6,000-capacity Johan Cruyff training ground stadium in the first weeks of the season after failing to get the permit they needed for Camp Nou, because of safety reasons.
They have since then been playing in the 55,000-seater Olympic stadium on Montjuic hill.
Barcelona will open the Camp Nou against Bilbao with a temporary capacity of 45,401 spectators, with space for 105,000 when the top tier is eventually completed.
Financially troubled Barcelona is estimated to be spending 1.5 billion euros on the rebuild.
