Barcelona tie with Juventus could see fans return, says regional government

Talking to Catalan daily Sport, the region’s General Director for Sport, Gerard Figueras, said preliminary discussions had taken place between authorities and Barca about the return of fans amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Barcelona may be able to welcome some fans back for their Champions League tie against Juventus at the Camp Nou in December, the Catalan regional government said. Talking to Catalan daily Sport, the region’s General Director for Sport, Gerard Figueras, said preliminary discussions had taken place between authorities and Barca about the return of fans amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - La Liga Santander - FC Barcelona v Real Sociedad - Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain - March 7, 2020 A Barcelona fan wears a mask before the match due to the recent coronavirus outbreak REUTERS/Albert Gea/File Photo (REUTERS)

“The club have spoken to us about gradually brining fans back, and we told them this is something we need to analyse game by game. Initial figures could be 3000 or 5000 people at the Nou Camp, and according to the epidemiological situation, we will decide if we can scale that up,” he said.

“I think that the protocols will be just about ready to allow for a crowd for the game against Juventus on Dec. 8, as long as the epidemiological situation hasn’t got worse.”

Barcelona did not immediately respond to a request for comment.