Barcelona Board Will Hold Referendum Early In '14 To Determine Fate Of Camp Nou Stadium

Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium, which was inaugurated in '57, "has since undergone various renovations, with the most significant coming before the '82 World Cup," according to Moisés Llorens. Barcelona President Sandro Rosell "believes that now is the best time to decide what to do with the stadium: leave it as is, renovate it or build a new one." To decide, "during the first trimester of next year, Barcelona's board will hold a referendum in which it will make a decision." Building a new stadium in the "university section of the city's Diagonal Avenue" would bring the team €40M ($54M) per year by "taking advantage of commercial zones, extra parking spaces and VIP boxes." Renovating Camp Nou "would be complex, because construction would make serious problems for members," while revenue created by renovations would be €20M ($27M) per year. Leaving Camp Nou as it is "would distance Barcelona from other European clubs, which are taking advantage of their new facilities" (AS, 10/15).