Plan to build new Camp Nou in the sea

Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia reports that Catalan architect and Barcelona socio Emili Vidal wants to build the new Camp Nou stadium off the coast of Barcelona.

Vidal thinks that the remodelling of the existing stadium won't solve certain problems and proposes to build a new stadium on an artificial isle off the coast. The new stadium would have 150 000 seats.

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims, based upon club sources, that Barcelona doesn't support this new project and isn't linked with the authors. The club would continue to work on the basis of the proyect by British architect Norman Foster on the remodelling of the current Camp Nou.

Read more:
Works on new Camp Nou to start next year
Barcelona plans to sell the Miniestadi

Works on new Camp Nou to start next year

Barcelona 'institutional and assets administration' vice-president Joan Franquesa has said in an interview with the club's official media that the club still wants to go through with the remodelling of Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium.

If everything goes like planned, the works should start during the 2010-2011 season, at the latest in the beginning of 2011.


Read more:
Barcelona considering to sell the pitch
How about the new stadium?
Camp Nou voted best sports stadium in the world

How about the new stadium?

One year ago, the remodelling project of the Camp Nou was officially presented.

Meanwhile, there has been a lot of criticism from socios and people living in the neighbourhood.

In an interview with Catalans newspaper Avui, Barcelona president Joan Laporta talked about how things stand today.




How about the remodelling of the Camp Nou?
The development of the club's assests is one of our objectives and the remodelling of the Camp Nou is the most visible project in that perspective. We're going through this very though process, it will ask time, also because we have to integrate our project in the whole restructuing of the Les Corts zone. At least, I want to have the project prepared when I will leave in 2010, the permission to start buildng should be there. I really think the project of Foster is excellent and it will make our stadium a landmark and an icon of the city.

The counter proposal of the city council doesn't prevent the project of being financially attainable?
We had proposed a more ambitious project, which was our duty, but we're looking at their proposal with the will to include the modifications and to go on with the project. We think FC Barcelona can play an role in the evolution of this city. I want to stress that we're not asking for any special treatment but to be treated just like other city development projects. And I think it shows.

There are socios who think that the Foster project will be a financial disaster for the club.
I have always said that this project won't cost the socio one euro.

But you will sell the zone of the Miniestadi to finance the stadium, isn't that empoverishing the club?
Until now we have made the club richer. We have more square metres of land, that also have more value, than before. We for example bought the Viladecans grounds, but we're also transforming what we have to make it more valuable. With the new project, we're in no way reducing the assets of the club and we're surely raising the value.

See a video of the Foster project here