Barcelona's Spotify Camp Nou return thrown into doubt again
That's according to RAC1, who have on Wednesday provided an insight into the situation.
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The news which all of a Barcelona persuasion had been so eagerly awaiting was of course finally forthcoming last month.
This came in the form of an announcement, confirming the club's planned return date to the renovated Spotify Camp Nou.
The intention, it was revealed, was to play the annual Joan Gamper Trophy match at the ground on August 10th.
As alluded to above, though, this week, as much has been thrown into serious doubt.
As per a report from RAC1:
'Barcelona City Council considers it very unlikely that Barça can return to the Camp Nou on August 10 for the Gamper.
'It was surprising that the return campaign was launched without having the permits approved.'
Conor Laird – GSFN
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Therefore, you have to go back to the men's World Cup in 2010, 15 finals ago, to find a side triumphing in the final having played their semi-final the day after their opponents. The pattern is not as strong when you go back further — perhaps because the level of physical intensity wasn't as demanding, and recovery days were less important. There are more tournaments when the semi-finals are played on the same day — at Euro 96, for example. Advertisement Playing both semis on the same day would largely solve this problem, of course. But that seems unlikely for practical reasons; the games would have to be staggered so it is possible for television viewers to watch both, and given the chance of extra time and penalties, this would result in some unusual kick-off times that broadcasters would be unhappy about. A less dramatic solution would be bringing the tournaments forward (again) and creating another day between semi-finals and final. There would still be one side with an extra day's rest, of course, but if the sides had five and four days between matches, rather than four and three, the effect would be less pronounced. For this weekend's final, England will need all the help they can get in defeating Spain. Tactically and technically, the world champions have looked light years ahead of the reigning European champions throughout this tournament. England's trump card is their ability to enforce late spells of pressure, having introduced substitutes, and that might be particularly effective against tired players whose recovery period has been much shorter.
