Girona win European battle: Champions League games are heading to Montilivi | OneFootball

Girona will host games in the Champions League next season at Montilivi. The Catalan side qualified for the competition last weekend with their victory over Barcelona, but there had been some doubts over whether UEFA would allow them to play in their home stadium due to the temporary stands in place at either end of the ground.

The club announced that UEFA had accepted their reforms to the stadium, at great cost, that will allow them to host games at Montilivi. However they will not be able to use the non-permanent stands, resulting in a reduction to the current 13,500 capacity.

Alternatives suggested had been using Montjuic or Espanyol’s RCDE Stadium, that have much larger capacities, but would have meant taking the games away from the local fans, an hour south to Barcelona. As per Marca, Girona will invest around €1m in reforms, extending parking capacity, VIP areas, larger press zones and separate entrances for home and away fans. They will miss out on several million euros by not taking the option to move the games to Barcelona. Around 6,500-7,000 season ticket holders will be allowed in.