Revealed: Barcelona picked 'lowest-rated' construction company to renovate Camp Nou despite bid failing to meet club's criteria amid repeated delays to reopening

Barcelona awarded the €960 million (£832m/$1.12 billion) Camp Nou renovation contract to Turkish construction firm Limak despite the company receiving the lowest score in a technical evaluation conducted by the club's own expert team, according to a bombshell report from Cadena SER. The team of engineers, architects, and financiers rated Limak's bid below 50 out of 100, placing it last behind consortiums led by Ferrovial and FCC. The report cited Limak's inability to justify its proposed construction schedule and its requirement of around €200 million in initial financing, compared to just €12 million requested by its competitors.

Despite the damning assessment from their internal experts, Barcelona's Espai Barça management, led by director Joan Sentelles, dismissed the report as "consultative and non-binding." Two days after the technical team's evaluation, a final binding report prepared by Sentelles and Technical Office Director Lluis Moya declared Limak the winner. The club has officially insisted that "the opinion that prevails and is legally binding is the assessment issued by the senior manager." This decision caused significant internal strife, leading to the resignation of Jordi Llaurado, the board director in charge of Espai Barca, who felt the process lacked transparency.

The key reason for overriding the technical advice was Limak's aggressive timeline. The Turkish firm was the only bidder to guarantee a return to a partially reopened Camp Nou by November 2024, a deadline that competing firms, with extensive stadium-building experience, described to the club as "impossible." The final report acknowledged that the tight timeframe was the primary "factor that influenced the contractors' assessments." However, as of October 13, 2025, the project is already 317 days behind schedule, with the partial return now not expected until mid-November 2025 and the final completion pushed back to the 2027-28 season, validating the initial fears of Limak's competitors.

The contract between Barcelona and Limak contains specific financial penalties for each day of delay. However, the club has so far failed to execute these sanctions. Club officials have attributed the delays to external factors, such as a lack of materials. This contradicts a clause in the contract, which explicitly states that "any delay due to a lack or delay in the supply of materials" is the contractor's responsibility and not grounds for an extension. The contract also stipulates that unilateral termination is possible if penalties exceed 10% of the total budget - around €96m.

Responding to the revelations, Espai Barca director Joan Sentelles defended the decision. "There wasn't just one report, there were several, many. Others did support it. The construction management, for example," he told Radio Barcelona. "The company met all the requirements and the contract is being fulfilled. We are happy with Limak, a very scrupulous company that does things well and thoughtfully. And decisions were made hierarchically; the reports were not binding." He also added that Limak "remains the most cost-effective project of those presented" and has "resolved more incidents than expected, from 800 to 3,000."

With the original deadlines now passed, Barcelona face a prolonged exile from their home stadium. The partial reopening of the ground is now anticipated for a match against Athletic Club in mid-November 2025, a full year later than Limak had guaranteed. The full completion of the stadium, including the roof installation, is not expected until the end of the 2027 calendar year. The financial and competitive implications of the extended stay at the Montjuic Olympic Stadium continue to mount for the club.