ONLINE VOTE, ASSEMBLY TABLE AT CAMP NOU

The meeting will be held remotely. The first call is scheduled for 9:30 a.m., with the second at 10:00 a.m. The Assembly table will be based at Auditori 1899 inside the Spotify Camp Nou complex. The board has also requested the presence of a notary to record the resolutions adopted during the meeting.

The official agenda contains ten items. Joan Laporta will deliver the president’s report before the delegates consider the club’s accounts for the 2025/26 season and its budget for 2026/27. They will also be asked to ratify agreements with Ohana Real Estate Development and Construction and Babylon Park Spain, as well as appointments to the Board of Directors and the Economic Commission.

MORE FINANCING FOR ESPAI BARÇA

The financing item will attract the greatest scrutiny. Barcelona’s official notice confirms that members will vote on an increase in funding for the Espai Barça project and on a bond issue backed by additional club audiovisual rights. The announcement itself does not state the amounts involved.

Spanish media have supplied the figures. “El País” and Cadena SER report that Barcelona are seeking a combined €510 million: €300 million in additional financing for Espai Barça and a further €210 million through bonds intended to ease liquidity pressure caused by delayed stadium revenue. These figures come from media reports and do not appear in the club’s formal assembly notice.

The pattern is familiar. Future income from the rebuilt stadium remains the central promise, while delays and rising funding needs keep producing fresh requests in the present. The board is once again asking delegate members to approve new obligations so that the project designed to transform Barcelona’s finances can first receive even more financial support.

DELEGATES FACE ANOTHER MAJOR DECISION

The vote reaches beyond the construction timetable. Approval would allow the board to proceed with financial operations partly secured against future audiovisual income. Barcelona would therefore be drawing on another future revenue stream to support a project whose full financial return is still several years away.

Officially, this is an Ordinary General Assembly. Formally, that description is correct. There is little ordinary, however, about asking members to approve hundreds of millions of euros in further financing for a stadium project whose schedule and costs have already changed repeatedly. On Saturday, the delegates will decide whether to endorse the board’s latest solution.

Joan Laporta has sealed yet another proudly announced commercial deal. FC Barcelona has entered into a five-year agreement with Telefónica, making the telecommunications giant an Official Partner of the Espai Barça project until 2031.

The company will be responsible for supplying top-tier connectivity and network infrastructure at Spotify Camp Nou. Club president Laporta praised the partnership, declaring that the venue will set a global benchmark for stadium innovation.

Fans can rest assured that once they finally set foot in the arena, their mobile connection will be lightning fast – even if waiting for the actual stadium reopening requires endless patience.

VIP LOUNGES AND CORPORATE GLAMOUR

Under the terms of the five-year contract, Telefónica secures an executive box at Spotify Camp Nou and naming rights to one of the new VIP Lounge spaces currently under construction.

Borja Ochoa, President of Telefónica España, signed the deal alongside Laporta, cementing the company’s commitment to the project. Barcelona’s executive board once again demonstrates its remarkable ability to sell futuristic visions and luxury corporate hospitality.

Having seamless 5G coverage will undoubtedly come in handy for club officials when they desperately refresh their inboxes ahead of future registration deadlines.

AN INJURY OPENS THE DOOR

García missed Barcelona’s final session before Saturday’s game at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium. He felt discomfort in his right knee during the 7-2 victory over Racing Santander and was replaced at half-time. Tests did not reveal a serious injury, but the coaching staff do not want to take an unnecessary risk.

With the first-choice goalkeeper unavailable, Flick called Rodríguez into the senior group. According to Mundo Deportivo, the academy graduate is set to travel to Seville as Barcelona’s third goalkeeper. Wojciech Szczęsny is expected to start, with Dominik Livaković providing the other experienced option.

RODRÍGUEZ ALREADY KNOWS THE SENIOR SETUP

This is not Rodríguez’s first contact with the first team. The young goalkeeper trained with the senior squad in previous seasons and was also involved during the summer preparation period following the departures of Ander Astralaga and Áron Yaakobishvili.

He has started the new campaign as Barça Atlètic’s first-choice goalkeeper. Rodríguez kept clean sheets in the opening league matches against Náxara and Logroñés B, strengthening his position among the club’s most highly regarded goalkeeping prospects. He is expected to return to reserve-team duty after the Sevilla match.

LA MASIA RETURNS TO EMERGENCY DUTY

Barcelona often present academy promotions as proof of their commitment to youth development. On this occasion, the explanation is less romantic: the first-choice goalkeeper is unavailable and Flick needs another name to complete the matchday group.

That takes nothing away from Rodríguez, whose performances for Barça Atlètic have earned him the opportunity. It does, however, show how quickly the hierarchy can change. Livaković arrived as additional cover, Szczęsny is now expected to return to the starting line-up, and an 18-year-old could take his place on the bench.

For Rodríguez, it is valuable experience at senior level. For Barcelona, it is another reminder that La Masia becomes especially useful when the first team suddenly runs short of available options.

THE GHOST OF MESSI STILL HAUNTS THE CLUB

Referencing the legacy of the Argentine master is a proven way to win the hearts of the fans. Fermín makes no secret of the fact that he grew up admiring the best player in history, which shaped his footballing identity.

The problem is that while the academy graduates still live in the romantic vision of a great team from the past, the board has spent years trying to sugarcoat the fact that saying goodbye to the legend was an absolute PR and strategic disaster. Tales of the great club DNA sound beautiful and media-friendly, until we remember the desperate patching of the budget and selling off future revenues just to survive another season.

COMPETITION OR A MEDICAL WAITING ROOM?

López also mentioned the immense competition in the midfield, which demonstrates his admirable optimism. This famous fight for a spot in the starting eleven in Barcelona often boils down to who is currently not recovering from a chronic injury and who has actually managed to be registered in the Spanish league five minutes before the referee’s first whistle.

The team’s identity is supposedly built on academy graduates, but in practice, this is largely due to the fact that the club’s accounts have been empty for a long time, and the virtual millions from successive financial levers do not make signing new stars any easier. Fermín’s enthusiasm is genuine and uplifting, but it is hard not to notice that his unconditional love for the crest is currently the cheapest and most stable asset the sporting direction has at its disposal.

TEAM TROPHIES SHOULD REMAIN TEAM TROPHIES

Yamal pointed out that winning the Champions League is a collective achievement. He applied similar logic to goals, noting that football already has separate awards for the leading scorers.

“People prioritise factors that have nothing to do with it. When Paris Saint-Germain win the Champions League, PSG get the Champions League trophy. If you are the top scorer, you get the top scorer award,” Yamal said during his appearance on Universo Valdano.

The Spain international explained that he places greater value on a player’s overall influence and the quality of his football than on a simple list of goals and trophies. It is a legitimate position, although the timing makes it difficult to separate from the campaign surrounding his Ballon d’Or candidacy.

BARCELONA’S FLEXIBLE RULEBOOK

Barcelona have publicly backed Yamal for the award, with Joan Laporta, current players and former club figures all adding their voices. The latest argument explains why the achievements and numbers recorded by his rivals should not necessarily settle the debate.

The criteria appear remarkably flexible. Team honours are powerful evidence when they favour Barcelona’s candidate, but scoring records become a separate matter when they strengthen someone else’s case.

Yamal is entitled to define footballing excellence in his own way. The wider campaign is more questionable when every criterion seems to gain or lose importance depending on which candidate benefits from it. Barcelona’s Ballon d’Or push continues, and the rulebook is apparently still being written.

Joan García missed Barcelona’s final training session before the trip to the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán. He suffered a problem in his right knee during the 7-2 victory over Racing Santander and was replaced at half-time. The club confirmed his absence from training, while reports in Spain state that he will not be available for the next match.

FLICK WILL WAIT UNTIL MATCHDAY

Flick was directly asked whether Szczęsny or Livaković would start against Sevilla. He gave nothing away, telling reporters they would have to wait until matchday.

However, his next answer carried a clear message. Flick acknowledged that Livaković is a goalkeeper of a very good level, but then highlighted Szczęsny’s contribution to Barcelona’s league title.

“We won the league with Szczęsny and it was in large part thanks to him. For us, he is a fantastic goalkeeper with a lot of experience,” the Barcelona coach said.

It was a significant show of faith after the Racing match. Szczęsny came on at half-time and made an error in the build-up to the visitors’ second goal, but Flick refused to turn one mistake into a public trial. By Barcelona’s standards, choosing calm over another internal drama almost qualifies as a novelty.

THREE GOALKEEPERS, ONE UNANSWERED QUESTION

Eighteen-year-old Iker Rodríguez also joined the first-team session. The academy goalkeeper trained alongside the senior squad and could travel as the third option for the game in Seville.

Szczęsny remains the most likely starter, although Flick deliberately stopped short of confirming his selection. Livaković, meanwhile, is still waiting for his opportunity after joining the squad. Barcelona therefore have several options, but no official answer to the simplest question: who will start in goal?

The most important part of Flick’s message was not the pre-match secrecy. One error has not erased Szczęsny’s standing, and the coach publicly reminded everyone of the goalkeeper’s role in last season’s title. The final decision will only become clear shortly before kick-off against Sevilla.

YAMAL EXPLAINS HIS REACTION

The forward stressed that racism does not always take the form of an explicit insult. In his view, people can make hurtful comments or behave in discriminatory ways without recognising the racist nature of their actions.

He used footage from the Santiago Bernabéu as an example. The recording captured abuse aimed at Barcelona players, but Yamal explained that he did not want the behaviour of a small number of individuals to distract him during the match. His attention remained on the game and on the supporters who had paid to watch the teams play.

REAL MADRID ISSUED AN OFFICIAL CONDEMNATION

Real Madrid responded with an official statement the day after the match. The club firmly condemned racism, xenophobia and violence, while specifying that the insults had come from a small number of spectators located in one corner of the stadium.

Madrid also opened an investigation to identify those responsible and pursue the appropriate disciplinary and legal action. Vinícius Junior publicly supported the Barcelona players as well. The Brazilian, who has repeatedly suffered racist abuse in Spanish football, called for the perpetrators to be identified and punished.

THE INCIDENT HAD CONSEQUENCES

LaLiga submitted evidence concerning the spectators’ behaviour to the relevant authorities. One minor admitted directing racist abuse at Lamine Yamal. The sanction included a one-year ban from stadiums hosting official competitions, 30 hours of educational community work and a written apology to the player.

Yamal’s account brings attention back to a serious incident that should not be reduced to another chapter in the rivalry between the two clubs. Responsibility belongs to the individuals involved. Real Madrid condemned their actions publicly, and the case led to concrete consequences.

REVOLUT WAS CONSIDERED AS A NEW SPONSOR

The Catalunya Ràdio programme “Barça reservat” reports that Barcelona had considered a partnership with digital bank Revolut in recent months. The club are still working on securing a financial-sector sponsor after their previous relationship with CaixaBank ended.

No value or detailed terms have been disclosed. Neither Barcelona nor Revolut has officially confirmed that talks were held or abandoned, so the story remains a media report rather than an announcement by either party.

FIGO REVIVED HIS MOVE TO REAL MADRID

The reported obstacle was Revolut’s advertising campaign featuring Luís Figo. In the commercial, the Portuguese former player initially speaks about the end of a cycle, exhaustion and the importance of money, clearly inviting viewers to think about his move from Barcelona to Real Madrid in 2000. The reveal is that he is promoting the idea of switching banks.

The campaign intentionally uses one of the most sensitive episodes in the history of the rivalry. According to the Catalan report, Barcelona disliked that association and ultimately decided against the proposal.

SENTIMENT OVER A POTENTIAL DEAL

If the report is accurate, Barcelona chose an unusual moment to demonstrate how seriously the club still takes its institutional memory. While seeking a financial sponsor, the decisive issue was reportedly neither the structure nor the value of the offer, but the face of an advert and a transfer completed 26 years ago.

Barcelona are entitled to assess the reputational impact of any partnership. Even so, the irony is difficult to miss: a company advertising the benefits of switching banks reportedly lost the club because it used football’s most famous switch as its marketing hook.

THE THIRD TIER IS FINALLY TAKING SHAPE

Mundo Deportivo reports that Barcelona’s working plan is to open part of the third tier after the Christmas break, including the lateral side and a section behind the south goal. Seats are expected to cover the entire third level in spring, allowing more areas to become available gradually.

That milestone will not complete the redevelopment. Once the current season ends, work is expected to move into the complex “Big Lift” stage required to install the roof structure. The new seats make the progress easier to see, but they should not be confused with a finished stadium.

ANOTHER RETURN TO MONTJUÏC IS PLANNED

According to Cadena SER, Barcelona expect to move back to the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys during the summer of 2027 while the next major stage is completed. The team is not expected to return to Camp Nou until February 2028, initially with around 95,000 seats available. Full capacity should follow in summer 2028.

Before then, the club expects the permitted attendance to rise from the current 62,652 to approximately 70,000–72,000 in early 2027. Some of the VIP areas below the third tier are scheduled to open in March 2027, although only at around 75 per cent of their planned capacity.

Barcelona can reasonably point to construction progress, but the stadium will remain both a football venue and a work site for many more months. The reopening is not one event. It is a sequence of partial openings, temporary arrangements and revised deadlines.

THE FINAL IS SECURED, THE FINANCING IS NOT FINISHED

UEFA has selected Spotify Camp Nou to host the 2029 Champions League final. That gives Barcelona a firm international deadline and, based on the present schedule, enough time to deliver the completed venue. Mundo Deportivo says the club plans to play the entire 2028/29 season with the stadium fully renovated, covered and operational.

The financial side remains less tidy. Cadena SER reported that Barcelona want approval for an additional €300 million loan to complete the Espai Barça project. The club is already facing more than €114 million in annual interest costs before the redeveloped stadium reaches its full revenue potential.

The first seats in the third tier are genuine progress. They are also a reminder of how much remains: another spell at Montjuïc, the roof installation, the final capacity increase and more financing. Barcelona can see the finish line, but it is still marked 2028 rather than today.

ONE ERROR CHANGES THE CONVERSATION

Szczęsny replaced Joan García at half-time after the first-choice goalkeeper felt discomfort in his knee. The Pole then made a clear mistake in the move that allowed Racing to reduce the score to 4–2. It did not threaten Barcelona’s victory, but the timing ensured that the incident would not be dismissed as a harmless footnote.

Flick publicly defended the 36-year-old, stressing that any goalkeeper can make a mistake. He has not announced a change in the pecking order and still regards Szczęsny as his No. 2. For now, talk of a demotion remains media analysis rather than a club decision.

LIVAKOVIĆ IS NO LONGER JUST EMERGENCY COVER

Dominik Livaković now gives the story an extra dimension. Barcelona signed the Croatia international late in the transfer window and kept him with the first team instead of allowing him to join Fenerbahçe on loan. According to “AS”, that decision suggests the 31-year-old was not recruited merely to fill a place in training.

There is no confirmation that Livaković has moved ahead of Szczęsny. However, his presence means Barcelona have an experienced alternative if Joan García is unavailable or Flick decides that competition for the back-up role should become genuine. The coach’s next selection could therefore reveal more than any carefully worded public statement.

BARCELONA CREATED ITS OWN DILEMMA

Szczęsny’s contract expires on 30 June and “AS” reports that this is expected to be his final season. His leadership, personality and experience remain valued inside the dressing room, so one mistake should not erase the reasons Barcelona wanted him in the squad.

It has nevertheless changed the tone around the position. A comfortable win should have closed the evening without drama, but Barcelona’s three-goalkeeper arrangement has turned a single error into a debate about hierarchy, succession and trust. The club now awaits Joan García’s diagnosis while Livaković’s role looks rather more substantial than simple insurance.