Construction worker dies in Camp Nou accident

BARCELONA, Spain (AP):

Barcelona says a construction worker died when he had an accident while helping with the renovation of its Camp Nou stadium on Friday.

In a short statement published yesterday, the Spanish club said it “deeply regrets the death of the worker who lost his life yesterday in the workplace accident”.

Barcelona expressed its condolences to his family, friends and co-workers.

Catalan police said the worker was a 54-year-old man who died from a blow to the head. No more detail on the circumstances was given when queried by The Associated Press.

Barcelona started a major overhaul of Camp Nou, Europe’s largest football stadium, in 2023. It returned to playing games at the venue in November, with a limited seating capacity, as construction work continued.

The news came two days after the Spanish champions signed forward Karim Adeyemi from Borussia Dortmund on a five-year contract, as they rebuild the attack following the departure of veteran striker Robert Lewandowski.

Barcelona announced the signing on its website and said Adeyemi was being “reunited” with coach Hansi Flick, who handed him his Germany debut.

The speedy Adeyemi can operate as a striker or winger. He played four seasons in the Bundesliga with Dortmund and has made 11 appearances for Germany.

He had an inconsistent past season with Dortmund, and was visibly unhappy after being substituted during a match.

The 37-year-old Lewandowski joined Major League Soccer team Chicago Fire after scoring 120 goals in four seasons with Barca, who previously signed England winger Anthony Gordon from Newcastle.