Barcelona suffer yet another financial blow as Nou Camp capacity is limited to just 30,000 by local government

BARCELONA have suffered another financial blow after the Catalan government limited the Nou Camp’s capacity to 30,000.

Spanish authorities have given the green light for open air events to allow 60 per cent crowds in but Covid numbers in Catalunya have seen the region’s Civil Protection department reject the move.

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Barcelona’s capacity has been limited to just 30,000 fans[/caption]

And the decision will hit the cash-strapped LaLiga giants, who had hoped to welcome almost 60,000 fans back the Nou Camp, in the pocket.

Barca are already in crippling debt of around £1BILLION.

They could not register top earner Lionel Messi, who joined Paris Saint-Germain for free, and took an eye-watering £73million loss on Antoine Griezmann on deadline day in an attempt to balance the books.

Now club chiefs are furious with this latest blow which will limit revenues further.

Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sanchez announced the decision to ‘increase the number of spectators in open-air stadiums to 60 per cent and in indoor venues to 40 per cent’ on Tuesday.

But local governments have the power to block the move and impose their own measures.

And the Catalans have decided it is still not safe to increase capacity at the Nou Camp and left the limit at 35 per cent.

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If the increase to 60 per cent had been adopted, Barca’s Champions League game against Bayern Munich on September 14 could have seen 60,000 fans in attendance.

The Nou Camp holds 99,354.

And as well as the cashflow hit, club chiefs have also complained the team will suffer because of a lack of home support.

Skint Barca, Real Madrid and Juventus have reportedly not given up on the idea of the European Super League.

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The Catalans replaced Griezmann with former Newcastle flop Luuk de Jong – leaving fans in disbelief at how far they have fallen.

It wasn’t long ago they lined up with Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar up front.

And this season could see De Jong, Braithwaite and Memphis Depay starting in the same positions.

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