FC Barcelona’s big return to Camp Nou had everything of a celebration. Last Saturday, the Blaugrana returned to their stadium after more than two years of absence, during a big victory against Athletic Bilbao (4-0), in front of nearly 45,000 spectators. A festive evening despite the construction site still far from being completely completed.
But behind the festive image, the Camp Nou construction site continues to cause serious concern. While the club hopes to generate significant income from its renovated venue, between ticketing, commercial operations and events, serious problems behind the scenes tarnish this symbolic return.
According to several revelations from the Catalan press, notably
El Periodico, a labor inspection investigation uncovered serious irregularities concerning workers employed on the site. The vast majority recruited abroad, mainly in Turkey, these workers worked via the company Extreme Works, a subcontractor of the Limak group, the constructor appointed for the project by Joan Laporta.
Deplorable working conditions
The investigation established that many employees were working without valid administrative authorization. Some also suffered particularly trying conditions: 12-hour daily schedules, working from Monday to Sunday, lack of weekly rest and promises of regularization never kept. Worse still, some workers were reportedly fired after denouncing these practices.
Faced with these failings, the labor inspectorate imposed a fine of one million euros on the company concerned and demanded the rapid regularization of employees. For its part, Barça wanted to clear its customs by claiming to contractually require strict compliance with the legislation from its partners.
