Barca's Camp Nou not ready to host Valencia game

FC Barcelona will play this weekend's La Liga home match against Valencia at the Johan Cruyff Stadium after the Camp Nou was deemed unfit to host the game, the club confirmed Tuesday.

Barca had hoped to return to its traditional ground after two seasons at the Olympic Stadium on Montjuic, despite reduced capacity of 27,000 during ongoing renovations. However, the local authority has not granted the necessary safety license for matches at Camp Nou.

Complicating matters, the Olympic Stadium is booked for a rock concert on Friday, ruling it out as an option for Sunday's fixture. That leaves the Johan Cruyff Stadium - capacity 6,000 - as the only available venue. Normally used by Barcelona's women's and B teams, it required La Liga's approval, along with VAR camera installations and fiber-optic cabling for TV broadcasts.

The switch marks another setback in Barcelona's long-delayed Camp Nou redevelopment. Work began in June 2023 with the aim of expanding capacity to over 100,000, and club president Joan Laporta initially promised a return by June 2024.