Perpignan eye Nou Camp dates
Mon, 23 Aug 2010 23:50
French Top 14 side Perpignan are hoping to stage at least one of their league matches this season across the border at Barcelona's mythical Nou Camp venue, the club said on Monday.
Perpignan, who hail from the deep south where many locals revel in their Catalan heritage - as do many Barca fans - say that Barcelona have given their approval in principle to host a match.
"The desire to play in Barcelona is not new," said Perpignan Chairman Paul Goze. "Today, we have Barca's backing."
He added the club had chosen to propose the staging of a league outing rather than a potential European Cup match, as a high-profile match for the latter depended on the club actually getting to the advanced stages of the competition.
Goze intends to go into further details in talks with Barca counterpart Sandro Rosell, whom he will invite to a September 1 match between Perpignan and Biarritz, the latter based in southwestern France and who have played some of their home over the border in San Sebastian.
With its capacity of 98,000 the Nou Camp would be an attractive proposition for Perpignan, whose own Aime-Giral venue holds only 15,000 fans.
Potential rivals who would bring in a healthy crowd are European champions Toulouse.
Perpignan have been strengthening ties with Spanish Catalonia with a coach helping to bring on young talent in the region, where rugby is more popular than elsewhere in Spain.
AFP
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