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Barcelona members approve staggering £1.3BILLION Nou Camp renovation despite being in debt for same amount

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BARCELONA have approved a £1.3billion renovation of the Nou Camp despite the club being in financial crisis.

The Catalan giants’ first ever online vote was held on Sunday as the plan was passed through with 42,693 club members backing the stadium overhaul.

The plans for the Nou Camp have been unveiled by the clubCredit: FC Barcelona
It is set to cost more than £1billion to renovate the stadiumCredit: FC Barcelona
Changes include an increase in capacity, a 360 degree screen, a retractable roof an new VIP areasCredit: FC Barcelona

A total of 5,055 voted against the project while 875 abstained. More than 40 per cent of Barcelona’s members chose to have their say in the decision.

The project – which has been titled ‘Espai Barca’ – will be funded by a third-party loan.

And members had vocalised their concerns around the financial aspect of the plan, particularly given the club’s debt already stands at more than £1bn.

This forced president Joan Laporta to call the referendum to push the plan through.

The project is expected to be finished in 2025, with part of the stadium set to be closed for the 2022-23 season.

Then for the 2023-24 campaign Barca will likely have to play elsewhere – potentially at the Olympic Stadium in Montjuic.

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The Nou Camp is now a 64-year-old stadium having opened back in 1957Credit: FC Barcelona
A 15,000 capacity Palau Blaugrana (left) will also be used by the basketball teamCredit: FC Barcelona
The renovations extend outside of the Nou Camp to the Palau Blaugrana stadiumCredit: FC Barcelona

The plan is to return to the Nou Camp – which opened in 1957 – for the 2024-25 season.

The renovations hope to put the Nou Camp ‘at the avant garde of technology’ as they prepare to extend it to a 105,000-seater capacity.

Back in October it was reported that the stadium was in such a bad condition that the club were not even allowed to turn on the ovens inside.

A major addition to the stadium will be a retractable roof covered with 30,000 square metres of solar panels.

And the energy generated from those solar panels will power a 360-degree screen which will be located around the inside of the stadium.

In another environmentally conscious move, Barcelona are also planning for rainwater to be collected and recycled.

There will also be a number of additions outside of the stadium.

These include new offices, green spaces, event spaces, an ice rink, a hotel and the ‘Palau Blaugrana’ – a pavillion area which will be used by the basketball team.

Although developments off the pitch are moving ahead as planned, their remains concerns on the pitch.

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Barcelona sit seventh in the LaLiga table at Christmas after picking up just 27 points from their opening 17 games of the season.

Xavi’s side were also eliminated from the Champions League group stages for the first time in 20 years.

They have now dropped down to the Europa League where they will face Napoli in the round of 32.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk

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