BARCELONA (Reuters) - Barcelona will kick off their home LaLiga campaign in front of 6,000 fans at their training ground stadium after Camp Nou renovation delays left the Spanish giants effectively homeless.
The club announced on Tuesday that they will face Valencia at the Johan Cruyff Stadium on Sunday, a modest venue at their Sant Joan Despi training facilities on the outskirts of Barcelona.
The move to stage their fourth LaLiga game this season there comes after the iconic Camp Nou renovation fell nine months behind schedule, forcing the club to find a temporary solution.
The cramped 6,000-seat venue required LaLiga to grant Barca a special exemption from competition rules requiring first-division clubs to have a minimum capacity of 15,000 seats.
League technicians have spent the past week inspecting the Johan Cruyff Stadium facilities and demanding essential adjustments, including VAR camera installations.
Barca had desperately hoped to return to a reduced-capacity Camp Nou with 27,000 spectators, but failed to obtain the necessary permits from Barcelona City Council.
The alternative Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium, where they have been staging their games for the past couple of seasons with the lowest attendance in their recent history, was ruled out after a Post Malone concert left the pitch in poor condition.
"The Club is working intensively to obtain the necessary administrative permits for the opening of the Spotify Camp Nou stadium in the near future. Therefore, the match will ultimately be played at the Estadi Johan Cruyff," the club said in a statement.
"FC Barcelona thanks its members and fans for their understanding and support during the complex yet exciting process of returning to the new Spotify Camp Nou. The Club will soon provide information on all details regarding match organization and ticketing."
The crisis leaves Barcelona, coming off a LaLiga title and strong Champions League run, as a club without a home with the season already under way.
(Reporting by Fernando Kallas; Editing by Ken Ferris)
