Posted by Oliver Wilson

On Monday night, Barca announced their plan to expand the iconic Camp Nou stadium in the heart of the city, turning the 98,000 capacity stadium into a roof ripping 105,000 seater super structure in order to add to matchday revenue and to modernize the aging arena.

At first glance the plans look ambitious and rather impressive. The leveling out of the top tier that soars into the city skyline creates and bowl that looks more impressive than either the Rose Bowl or Big House in the USA, while a new roof (that finally covers every seat in the stadium) and outershell add to the aesthetics of the ground. Inside, fans will enjoy a steeper bottom tier, improving visibility for fans in near the pitch, while those with the money will be able to buy seats in the new executive facilities and 'super boxes' around the ground.

As I said, it looks and sounds like a very impressive new development.

There would be, however, a slight lump in the throat of any person who has experienced the atmosphere and the character of the ground in it's current format. A ground that is known throughout the footballing and is an iconic symbol of Barcelona football club.

Since it's opening in 1957 the Camp Nou (or Estadio del FC Barcelona as it was officially named until 2000) has gone under the stadium surgeons knife twice, in 1995 and 208, seeing new boxes, parking facilities, and a number of other alterations adding a modern look to the aging outer shell. The majority of the ground, however, has barely changed since it's opening day, aside from the addition of the impressive top tier opposite the grounds only covered area, and there is a raw feel to a stadium steeped in history. It's very much a sense of "if these walls could talk."

What the new construction will do is add 7000 seats and a commercial gloss to a ground that has never needed it. Currently, the Camp Nou sits in the city like an hold sweater or hoodie that holds the memories that summer you spent by the beach, or still holds the smell of the jungles of Asia from that gap year trip. However many replacement hoodies you buy, you can't beat the one that reminds you of those great moments, especially when the replacement for that filthy old hoody is a glossy new brand top, that may look nice, but doesn't have the history or that emotional attachment to it.

Add some super boxes, some new seats and a shiny new roof and shell and you've got a new stadium that can once again host the Champions League final, European Championships and World Cups, but you've also got a hollow ground that hasn't been built for the fans or for the players. It's been built for the commercial aspect, to add another zero on the revenue sheet, and that, combined with looking more and more like a generic modern stadium, takes the edge off what currently is one of the greatest grounds in Europe.

We, the fans, love our football history, it's what our love of the game is based on. We love looking back at those great moments, the great teams and the great venues of football's by-gone era, but they are dying fast.

It's inevitable that this process will take place, as corporate sponsors continue to dictate what was the World's game, but it doesn't make it any less frustrating or depressing that year after year we're losing some of the most iconic pieces of football imagery in the game.