Camp Nou: FC Barcelona exposes several of the problems that have delayed the works in the Culé house

The FC Barcelona recently held a participatory session with its members to update them on the progress of the refurbishment works at the Spotify Camp Nou. During the meeting, Joan Sentelles, the director of operations at the Espai Barça, played a crucial role in detailing the various challenges that the blue and red team has faced during the remodeling of their stadium, leading to a significant delay of approximately three months in the project.

It is worth noting that FC Barcelona has indicated that the execution of the works has been affected by several unforeseen circumstances, such as material availability, a shortage of qualified labor, and works not initially planned. These factors have resulted in modifications to the already tight execution timelines. However, the club has assured that they are maintaining an appropriate pace of work to complete the works before the summer.

What unforeseen circumstances have caused delays in the Spotify Camp Nou works?

In relation to the unforeseen circumstances, Joan Sentelles mentioned that three significant administrative contingencies have impacted the schedule of the works. Firstly, reference was made to a bankruptcy of the company INBERSA, responsible for supplying the metal structure of the stand, which temporarily halted the corresponding supply and assembly works.

Secondly, another unforeseen circumstance arose when the Turkish construction company Limak faced difficulties in hiring personnel from outside the European Union, which combined with the lack of production capacity in Spain to meet the demand for materials for the metal structure, leading to the need to import materials from abroad.

In addition, the Spotify Camp Nou project also experienced changes that caused alterations to the initial roadmap. There were modifications to the foundations, in the roof to enhance its future installation, and in the VIP areas that will benefit from a new Hospitality policy in the second tier. Lastly, unforeseen events were registered, such as the discovery of a high-voltage line within the stadium's premises, necessitating the temporary halt of the works.

These setbacks do not entail additional costs for the stadium project

Fortunately, as confirmed by Joan Sentelles, all these unforeseen circumstances will not result in additional costs for the Spotify Camp Nou project, as "the contract has a guaranteed maximum price." Additionally, "an amount of 87 million euros was reserved for this type of contingencies (52 million for direct contingencies and 35 million for IPC increases)," an amount that has not been exceeded so far.