Espanyol’s Estadi RCDE is set for a January handover

Espanyol, the Blanc i Blau, have been told that they can symbolically have the keys to their new arena on the outskirts of the Catalan capital, Barcelona, in January – and that within a matter of weeks thereafter the stadium will be fit to host a game.

Daniel Sánchez Llibre, the Espanyol president, could not hide his emotions at a general meeting of shareholders, as he has been responsible for the move, which is viewed as one of the most important acts in the club’s history.

“At the end of March everything wil be operational and a game can be played there,” Espanyol director José Luis Perelló announced at the meeting.

Espanyol moved out of the SarriÁ  stadium in 1998 in order to sell the land and raise a huge amount of money, but the move to the Estadi Olí­mpic was not popular among fans.

The arena was modernised for the Olympic Games in 1992 and creates little atmosphere, with the 80,000 seats making the club’s regular attendance of 25,000 appear small.