The iconic Camp Nou stadium recorded its lowest ever attendance in 20 years during the weekend clash against Deportivo Alaves, with a shockingly low 37,278 fans making it to the venue which has a staggering capacity of over 99,000.
To put things into perspective, the turn-out was higher, at 39000+, for their game against FC Bayern Munich when the allowed capacity was limited to 40 per cent.
Given that the match took place on a Saturday with the stringent COVID restrictions out of the way, such low numbers would seem worrying to the Blaugrana given the financial ruins that the club already finds itself in.
The sparse crowds at Camp Nou could be attributed to the undeniable fact that Barcelona has seen some tumultuous times in the recent past. The departure of heavyweights like Luis Suarez, Antoine Griezmann and most recently the biggest club legend Lionel Messi, who was the sole reason why many even turned up at the stadium.
Not to mention the abysmal form of the club, that has emerged victorious only 4 times out of their 11 appearances in the Spanish top flight this season and risks falling to the Europa League next season, a record which could lead to even the most loyal fanbases lose faith in their side.
The issue was glaringly obvious even in a match as sought after as the El Clasico, which couldn’t encourage supporters to show up leaving about 15,000 seats empty (Marca).
The board has done everything in its power to garner support from Culers, slashing ticket prices for the games against Valencia and Dynamo Kyiv by 50 per cent.
Unfortunately, their game against Alaves would’ve only pushed the team in murkier water as they could only manage to extract a solitary point from the encounter, as the visitors kept the game level at 1-1.
With the sacking of the erstwhile tactician Ronald Koeman and the signing of club legend Xavi imminent, FC Barcelona would hope for a light at the end of this tunnel.
• 37278 spectators at the Camp Nou is among the worst records.
• In November 2001 only 30000 fans came to a Barça vs Valladolid game and only 39298 fans attended Rijkaard's farewell.
• One thing is common in all cases: a loss in El Clásico one week ago.
