Barcelona have had a problem on their hands for some time now: their players can struggle to get out of the training ground. Put like that, it sounds absurd, but it isn’t, not really. The presence of people waiting for the players has regularly created difficult situations, particularly when groups gather outside the gates, waiting for the right moment to get a photograph, an autograph or simply say hello to their idols. In an effort to improve the organisation and avoid moments of tension, Catalan newspaper Sport reports that the club has introduced a new tool: drones to monitor the entrances and exits of the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper from above.
It sounds like a paramilitary strategy, and in some respects it is. The idea is to give security staff an overall view of the different areas and identify in real time which exit is least crowded, allowing players to leave the training ground from there and avoid the largest groups. Barça have been looking for a solution to a problem that returns practically every day. Most supporters are naturally there in good faith, simply hoping for a photograph or an autograph, although on some occasions the crowds become considerable and someone ends up crossing the line.
One of the best-known incidents involved Iñigo Martínez. In 2024, the Basque defender, who has since moved to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, confronted a group of youngsters who had insulted and provoked him as he left the Ciutat Esportiva. He stopped his car and confronted them. Hansi Flick has had his own encounter with the same problem. In October 2025, the German coach asked a group of supporters to show some respect after witnessing inappropriate behaviour towards security staff. “I stop two or three times a week. Be respectful,” the former Germany manager told them.
These episodes show that the problem is not simply about photographs and autographs. Large crowds can make it difficult for cars to get through, creating problems for players as well as members of the coaching staff and club employees. The same thing happened again on Tuesday, when up to 80 people gathered outside the Ciutat Esportiva hoping to get a photograph with Rodri, making it difficult for cars to leave the training ground. The midfielder stopped for some of the supporters, while Dani Olmo waited in his own car behind him and eventually sounded the horn as he struggled to move forward.
The scene gives a fairly good idea of what the new system is for. From above, security staff can see where the crowds are forming and decide in real time which exit is least busy, giving them a wider view of what is happening around the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper. The intention is not to prevent supporters from approaching their idols, but to manage the flow of people more effectively, avoid bottlenecks and, above all, prevent the kind of tense situations that have involved players, coaches and security staff several times in recent years.