The machines keep buzzing outside Camp Nou, where the works continue even though it's already late at night. In the nearby Barcelona offices, there is a certain relief. Since the renovation of their stadium began in June 2023, the club has pressured the City Council to work every day and at all hours, but complaints from neighbors have prevented the granting of a permanent permit. Breaking working hours should be an exception. As it has happened before, for now, the Turkish construction company Limak can continue operating without stopping, but starting next Monday, they will have to rest at night and on weekends again.
"Extended working hours are key to progress at a faster pace," claim those promoting the mechanisms installed to appease the neighbors: sound meters, dust sensors... Despite this, in the streets near the stadium such as Travessera de les Corts, Arístides Maillol Street, or Cardenal Reig Street, it seems difficult to get some sleep, and in the vacant lot where the Mini Estadi used to be, the hustle and bustle echoes relentlessly. "The neighbors have not failed, but they have," repeats Ana Ramón, president of the Camp Nou Neighbors Association, regarding the club's failures with the works.
In the 21 months that have passed, there have been so many incidents that the City Council has opened several files and issued several fines, although they have always been for minimal amounts: mostly 300 euros that could end up being settled for only 75 euros. In any case, amid the disagreement between Barcelona and its neighbors, there is only one certainty: the Camp Nou is still not ready. Not by a long shot.
The YouTube channels created to follow the works -by neighbors or fans who climb the hill in front of the Les Corts cemetery- show some progress. The metal structure of the third tier is taking shape, and in recent days, the first LED scoreboards have been tested, or a temporary press stand has been installed. But the return of football still seems distant. The Rolling Stones' cancellation of a European tour solved the problems for the current season, which Barcelona will finish at the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium, but the next one is still uncertain.
The dream of returning home last November to celebrate the club's 125th anniversary quickly faded, and now, according to sources from the entity, the hope is to return next November. The team could play the first matches of the League and Champions League away from home and debut the new Camp Nou with a partial capacity of only 60,000 spectators after the third FIFA break, but not even President Joan Laporta dares to announce it. In recent months, there have been too many unfulfilled promises: they were supposed to return in February, also for the May 11th classic... "Any calendar forecast is subject to review due to the development of the Espai Barça project and will be duly communicated," the club now explains in response to EL MUNDO. In reality, neither the entity nor the construction company know for sure what date to promise.
If the ball rolls at the stadium in 2025, it will already be a success. If the works are completed in 2027, another one. The forecasts were that the entire venue, including the roof, would be finished by June 2026 and inaugurated on September 24 of that year, so there will be at least a one-year delay.
"Right now, the Camp Nou is the largest urban civil work in Europe," defends Barcelona, which, for now, justifies the work of the construction company Limak. "There have been problems such as the lack of availability of qualified labor and an unforeseen number of repairs in the first and second tiers," argues the entity, which has acknowledged the previous deficiencies of the venue.
As a historical heritage protected by the Barcelona City Council, Camp Nou, built in 1957, must maintain much of its structure, which was damaged before the renovation began, but all parties were aware of these issues beforehand. The delay can also be attributed to incidents in the hiring of workers -the club had to admit salary arrears and unreported overtime by subcontractors-, to the hourly restrictions imposed by the City Council, and even to the scarcity of certain materials due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, although another possible conclusion is that the other construction companies were right.
When Laporta's board awarded the renovation to the Turkish company Limak, the other companies vying for the project -two Spanish consortia were created- denounced that the promised deadlines were impossible. But the club protected itself with a promise. Supposedly, Limak was going to pay one million euros for each day without football at the stadium from November 29, 2024. With the most optimistic calculations, this would entail a fine of between 300 and 400 million, that is, almost half of the cost of the work, which is around 900 million -1.450 million for the entire Espai Barça-. Will the construction company really pay it?
"The contract includes it, and the club never renounces compensation," assures the entity at the request of this newspaper, although they provide a justification: "The schedule on which these penalties would start to apply is variable depending on the causality and responsibility for the delays". Limak, which months ago addressed the press through a Spanish communication agency, now only refers to the club, so the reality of that compensation remains to be seen. Perhaps, when the works are completed, Barcelona may claim a certain amount from the construction company, or perhaps "the causality and responsibility for the delays" will blur that possible payment. In any case, there are still many days and months to go. Meanwhile, the machines keep buzzing outside Camp Nou, where the works continue even though it's already late at night.