Barcelona‘s training ground suffered structural damage on Thursday, with renovation work on Spotify Camp Nou also partially halted and the team forced to travel to Madrid early as extreme winds pummeled Catalonia.
A wall at the club’s Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper, which gives way to a public road, was brought down after the fencing around it had collapsed.
Barça said no one had suffered any injuries as a result of the damage, with the area secured, the road closed and work ongoing to restore the wall and the fencing.
Meanwhile, construction work on the exterior of Camp Nou, which is not expected to be finished until at least the end of 2027, had to be stopped for the day. Work continued inside the stadium, a club source confirmed.
The forecast of extreme winds had already forced Barça to change their plans for Thursday’s Copa del Rey semifinal first leg against Atlético Madrid (LIVE on the ESPN App), with the team flying to Madrid a day early on Wednesday.
That decision was validated on Thursday as many airplanes and trains leaving Barcelona were cancelled due to the wind, with the news agency ACN reporting gusts reached over 100 km/h (62 mph).
As of midday, more than 60 people had been injured in weather-related incidents, with more than 20 hospitalized, while buildings and trees around the city were damaged.
Barça’s training ground, located in Sant Joan Despí on the outskirts of the city, was one of the spots affected, as the club confirmed later on Thursday.
“Due to the severe winds, the training ground has suffered structural damage, including the collapse of a section of a wall and a perimeter fence on the road Francesc Macià, in the area between Pitch 3 and the women’s first team training area,” the club said.
“No personal injuries have been reported. Teams have already arrived at the site to ensure the safety of the affected area and to carry out an initial assessment of the damage.
“As a result of these events, the affected section of the road will be closed to both vehicles and pedestrians until further notice, strictly for safety reasons.”
Work on the exterior of Camp Nou, where Barça returned to play their home games in November after almost two years away, was also halted for safety reasons.
Barça had initially planned to return to Camp Nou in 2024 before eventually moving back at the end of last year following several delays in the revamp.
They are currently playing with a capped capacity of around 45,000, with a stand behind one of the goals still completely empty, but hope to receive a permit to open it soon, which would see the attendance increase to over 62,000.
When the work is finished, with the club most recently saying that will be at the end of 2027, the capacity will stand at 105,000.
Barça landed in Madrid after midnight on Wednesday, having initially planned to fly on Thursday, for their Copa tie with Atlético as the LaLiga leaders look to seize the advantage ahead of the second leg back at Camp Nou on March 3.
