The director of the economic and strategic area of FC Barcelona has explained, among other issues, the situation regarding the construction of the new Palau and the possibility of a partial remodelling of the Camp Nou.
Jordi Moix has said that Barça’s independence always depends to a large extent on its fixed
assets. In this regard, he expressed that all decisions regarding its investments take three main
aspects into consideration: “they must have repercussions for sport, and also the members and
must also produce financial profits.” His discussion concentrated on four locations: Les
Corts, the Ciutat Esportiva, Can Rigal and Viladecans.
Focusing on Les Corts, Moix spoke about what he feels to be the most pressing issue.
“We are working on the feasibility of a new Palau” he said. After confirming that the
pavilion would be located on the future Espai Barça, the director revealed an expected cost of 75
million euros, adding that “we have to guarantee that this will be sustainable. We have to
finance it with external resources.”
Moix also indicated that the completion of the new Palau would be the starting point for many
of the elements that will feature in this new Espai Barça, which will be based around the area of
the Camp Nou and Palau, and that of the Miniestadi.
After explaining that the club expects to receive the results of its feasibility study in
late 2011 or late 2012, Moix said that the club is in contact with the Euroleague, to whom it is
committed to providing regular updates regarding the evolution of the project.
Remodelling the Camp Nou
On the subject of changes to the Camp Nou, Moix said the club is looking to increase
the capacity by some 10,000 seats in the Grandstand zone. “We have to evaluate whether it
makes sense to do this or not” he said. “We will decide this depending on demand, the
cost of the investment and the market appetencies.”
The basic issue concerning the expansion of the Camp Nou is to “redesign vertical
circulations in order to improve the operability of the facility and to create new spaces”.
The spaces the club has in mind include “new catering zones and new boxes.”