When Eintracht Frankfurt arrive at the Camp Nou next Tuesday, the atmosphere in Barcelona will not just be shaped by UEFA Champions League stakes. It will also carry the weight of a memory the club has spent more than three years trying to bury.
The infamous night in April 2022, when tens of thousands of visiting supporters flooded the Camp Nou with white shirts and celebrated a Europa League triumph on Barça’s home turf, remains a painful episode for the Catalan club’s fanbase. Local media at the time called it everything from a “historical embarrassment” to a “lamentable” failure of management, and many supporters still recall the feeling that their own stadium had been taken over.
Club president Joan Laporta also expressed the dismay felt inside the institution. He admits he still wants to avoid anything reminiscent of that evening. Speaking at an event this week, he said: “I don’t want to have the feeling we had during that game in 2022. It’s a horrific memory, the stadium full of opposition shirts.”
The board has faced renewed scrutiny in recent weeks. A technical glitch in the club’s ticketing system during a match against Alavés affected more than 7,000 members, many of whom were unable to enter the stadium on time despite having paid for their seats. Meanwhile, tourists and non-members who had purchased tickets without issue were already inside for the opening minutes. The incident left another mark on the club’s reputation and sharpened fan concerns about ticketing controls.
Against this backdrop, Barça’s leadership has opted for decisive action ahead of the high-risk clash with Frankfurt. In a statement released five days before the match, the club announced that all available seats will be reserved exclusively for members. “This decision has been taken to safeguard the safety of Barça supporters and to prevent a repeat of the situation experienced in April 2022, when the majority of spectators in the stadium were not supporters of the home team,” the club said.
The statement added: “With this measure, the club grants absolute priority to its members, who are the backbone of the institution, and ensures that the stadium will be a space of celebration and exclusive support for Barça fans.” The club also stressed that any ticket found in the hands of a Frankfurt supporter outside the official away section will be traced back to the member who acquired and resold it.
This match doubles as the first European fixture in the newly redeveloped Spotify Camp Nou, which Barça partially reopened in November after two years at the Olympic Stadium. Capacity remains capped at around 45,000 as construction continues, but the return to the club’s historic home has added an emotional undercurrent to every game played there.
The sporting context matters just as much. Hansi Flick’s team sits three points off the top eight in the Champions League standings, keeping their hopes for an automatic round-of-16 place alive. Frankfurt, meanwhile, need points just as urgently to stay within reach of a knockout-round spot.
