Workers fight at Camp Nou construction site, Barcelona stadium

Around twenty workers were among those involved in the brawl at the Catalan club’s home; six were injured

Twenty workers were involved in a fight during the construction of Camp Nou, Barcelona’s stadium. According to local media, the confrontation was marked by blows with construction pieces, and six people suffered minor injuries.

According to Mundo Deportivo, a Barcelona newspaper, the twenty workers involved in the fight are Romanians and Albanians who work for a subcontracted company. The fight took place at around 2:30 pm local time on Friday.

After the altercation, the Catalan police removed those involved in the fight from the site. This is not the first altercation at the Camp Nou construction site. On May 23, four people were arrested and three were injured in another fight at the stadium.

The new Camp Nou will have an increased capacity from 99,000 to 110,000 spectators. According to the club’s estimates, the stadium will be ready for use in November 2024, even with the works not completed, using 60% of its total capacity. The stadium is expected to be completed in mid-2026. Until it returns to its home stadium, the Catalan team will play its matches at the Montjuic Olympic Stadium.

Barcelona has secured €1.5 billion in financing for the reconstruction of the arena, with 20 different investors. The project includes the entire sports complex in the area, which will be called Espai Barça. The complex will also include the new Palau, a gymnasium for other sports, new administrative headquarters and will include the complete redevelopment of the area.

If the rules are upheld, Barcelona’s home debut will likely only take place in February 2025, as the board does not plan to have the cost of operating two stadiums during the season, as they could use the new Camp Nou in La Liga. Barça’s last game in the Champions League, against Atalanta, is scheduled for January 29 at the Estadio Olímpico de Montjuic, where they have been playing in recent months.

The club will be able to change its home stadium, leaving Montujic and returning to Camp Nou, in the playoff for access to the round of 16, which will take place on 11/12 and 18/19 February, or in the round of 16, scheduled for 4/5 and 11/12 March, if it qualifies directly as one of the top eight teams in the initial phase of the competition.