Barcelona confirm Como clash will NOT be played at Camp Nou as Joan Gamper Trophy to be held in 6,000 capacity stadium after return to iconic stadium delayed again

After the fuss regarding playing the Joan Gamper Trophy at the resurrected Camp Nou, Barca have confirmed that the game against Como, which is managed by their former player Cesc Fabregas, will be played on August 10 at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, a stadium which can accommodate 6,000 people and plays home to their women's team.

After two years at Estadi de Montjuic, Barca were confident of returning to Camp Nou with the Joan Gamper Trophy clash. They received the Activities and Construction license two weeks back and were waiting for the First Occupancy license last week; however, they were not issued the latter. If the City Council had opted to allow the First Occupancy license, the Como game would have been played at the Camp Nou, of course, with a reduced capacity of up to 60,000 fans. The club considered shifting the game to Montjuic, but the stadium will host a concert on August 9, a day before the clash, making it almost impossible to be prepared on time. Hence, the Catalans had to take this game to Estadi Johan Cruyff, where only 6,000 fans will be able to enjoy Fabregas taking on his former side. Moreover, their return to the home ground might be delayed until January.

Como will become the ninth Italian outfit to participate in this competition, with Sampdoria, AC Milan, Inter, Juventus, Napoli, Parma, Roma and Brescia being the previous contestants.

This will be the first-ever meeting between Barca and Como in their respective 125 and 118-year history.