Barcelona plan to increase Camp Nou capacity by 10,000

Spanish and European Champions FC Barcelona are considering reforming their famous Camp Nou Stadium to increase its capacity and allow a further 10,000 football fans to see the club's home matches, reports Xinhua.

"We have proposed a sustainable remodelling of the ground, giving priority to the comfort of the club members and an improvement of the services on offer," Jordi Moix, club director, was on Wednesday quoted as saying by Catalan newspaper, El Mundo Deportivo.

Barcelona's status as the best club in the World at the moment, and the presence of players such as Leonel Messi and Andres Iniesta in the squad, means that the Camp Nou is visited by thousands of tourists every week.

The current capacity of the stadium is 98,700, but on occasions, such as matches against bitter rivals, Real Madrid, that is simply not enough.

"There is demand for seats and if we have to increase capacity, it will be areas further away from the pitch," said Moix, who added that the club's main priority was to build a new sports pavilion to house other sections of the club, such as its basketball and handball teams.

Barcelona is also aiming to invest money in the terrain it owns between the Camp Nou and the Mini-Estadi, where its B-team plays its home matches. The club wants to improve the infrastructure and build a hotel.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid are also considering plans to develop the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

Club President, Florentino Perez, who made his fortune in the construction industry, will announce plans to build a commercial centre and a hotel in the open space between the Bernabeu and the Paseo de la Castellana, the main thoroughfare through the heart of Madrid.