Laporta in the dock: how did the Camp Nou turn from a formidable fortress into a tourist attraction?
"Like a trip to Disneyland"
Barcelona are facing a genuine crisis at the Camp Nou, a press report claimed on Tuesday, and it's one set to worsen in the coming months.
According to the newspaper "Sport", the Camp Nou has never been a ground famed for its atmosphere. The hardline "Boixos Nois" group were thrown out in the early years of the new millennium, and ticket prices climbed steadily afterwards, squeezing out long-standing local supporters. In their place came a new crowd, packed with international tourists, and the mood on the terraces has suffered as a result.
Things have grown more worrying in recent months. The third tier of the Camp Nou remains closed to the public while renovation work continues.
Bit by bit, the issue has become the talk of Barcelona. "What is happening in the stands of the Camp Nou?" the newspaper asked, hitting out at the sheer number of tourists spoiling the atmosphere and holding it up against other Spanish and European grounds.
The newspaper wrote: "Barcelona is not just a spreadsheet, it is a social entity in which generations have passed down their love of the club from grandfather to grandson. The need to achieve financial targets and maximise the club's revenues does not mean destroying its soul", pinning part of the blame on a board forever chasing bigger revenues.
A growing "Disneyland" atmosphere
For plenty of frustrated supporters, the Camp Nou has turned into a tourist attraction, closer to a trip to Disneyland than a football match.
Journalists and locals aren't the only ones to clock the decline. The players have repeatedly demanded more backing from the stands this season, waving their arms to drag the crowd into the game.
Against weaker sides like Alavés, this lack of passion might pass as a one-off. In the big matches, it could prove costly.
Lately, the away fans have often drowned out the home support from their own corner of the ground, and the players know it.
There are problems, too, with the "Grada d'Animació", the supporters' stand behind the goal and the one pocket of the stadium that still generates real noise.
Joan Laporta made the call to shut the stand for the Alavés match. The decision followed incidents during the Clásico, among them the assault on Real Madrid's Eduardo Camavinga and a string of offensive chants logged by the Spanish league association. Alive to the risks of a partial closure and the fines that could come with it, the Barcelona president came down hard on the various groups behind the "Grada d'Animació", as he has before.
His decision has sparked uproar across Catalonia, and the row may rumble on, not least because Laporta was never keen on the stand in the first place.
None of it will do anything to lift the already flat atmosphere at the Camp Nou.
