Barcelona's plans to develop their Camp Nou stadium have had to be put on hold due to the economic crisis – at least for now.
The club’s Vice-President of financial affairs Javier Faus revealed at a Press conference on Friday that Barca’s current debt stands at €335m, so until this figure drops to around the €200m mark any reforms will have to be shelved for the time being, reports Sport.
The last time the arena received a facelift was in 1993 when the pitch was lowered and new seats inserted at the level below the main amphitheatre, with the removal of standing room in the 1990s, lowering its capacity to the current 99,354.
The Barca hierarchy believe it will be at least another two or three years before the debt is lowered to €200m, so discussions on stadium work could be set to take place in the final year of President Sandro Rosell’s term in office.
Once approved, the board would then need to submit its proposals to a referendum involving club members, who in the interim will have to settle for the €8.2m being spent on urgent refurbishments such as a new pitch and improvement to the players’ tunnel, which in the words of the club’s director of economy and strategy Jordi Moix 'is like it was in 1957 when the ground opened'.
