Barcelona Big decrease in fan entry since October 1

In recent weeks it has become clear that Barcelona are suffering the negative impacts of the Catalan independence issue, as there has been a substantial decrease in Camp Nou attendance in their two most recent matches.

The visits of Sporting CP and Deportivo La Coruna have had two of the worst gates of the current season and it is a concern for Los Cules that this doesn't seem to be an isolated incident.

There is a pattern emerging, as attendances on the whole at the famous stadium are on a downward trend.

This negative pattern has coincided with the Catalan independence referendum on October 1.

On that day the Blaugrana hosted Las Palmas in a match which was played behind closed doors as a direct response to the unsightly scenes which took place at ballot boxes across the region earlier in the day.

From then on there has been a gradual descent in attendance for Barcelona home matches and the aforementioned clashes with Sporting CP and Deportivo have seen crowds of just 48,336 and 53,607 respectively.

The instability in the region has panicked people and one of the biggest factors in the recent slump in attendance figures is the fact that tourism in Barcelona has dropped off spectacularly.

People simply aren't visiting the region in the same numbers as they were previously and these people were the main buyers of match tickets in addition to those with season cards.

It's not only matchday festivities that have seen this negative change.

The Camp Nou museum tour and the club's shop have also seen a decrease in visitors, while the turnover for the sale of club branded products on site has also lessened dramatically.

Behind the scenes, alarm bells are ringing with it feared the Blaugrana's income could drop around 20 percent from last term.