Barcelona attacked over ‘illegal behaviour’ in Dembele case
Robin Bairner
- 20 Jan 2022 14:25 GMT
- 3 min read
Barcelona’s treatment of attacker Ousmane Dembele has been criticised by the Spanish Players’ Union (AFE), which has suggested the club’s behaviour is “illegal”.
It was announced by sporting director Mateu Alemany on Thursday that Barcelona have told Dembele to get out of the club before the end of the month.
Barca have additionally told the France international winger that he will not be involved in the team unless he signs a new contract.
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Although there are many clubs interested in Dembele, who now stands a strong chance of leaving this month, the AFE has attacked the approach of the Camp Nou side.
In a statement, the organisation said: “AFE considers that Ousmane Dembele’s employment contract obliges him to lend his services to the club, following the instructions that are given to him. On the other hand, the club is obliged to pay the stipulated wages and offer him the same working conditions as the rest of its partners, without there being any type of discrimination or pressure so that the sportsman renounces his rights as a worker.
“We understand that the extension of a contract requires the agreement and the will of both parties. Such an agreement should be freely issued without external pressures that limit or constrain freedom of contract.
“Of course, a player does not have the right to be lined up or called up for every game, but he does have the right to be treated like his partners and to be available for the matches in question.
This case could be understood as pressure to bend his will, especially since there are public statements acknowledging this pressure. We would then be faced with illegal behaviour on the part of the club.
- AFE statement “This is why this case could be understood as pressure to bend his will, especially since there are public statements acknowledging this pressure. We would then be faced with illegal behaviour on the part of the club.
“AFE considers that not agreeing to a contract extension does not mean disrespecting the worker-company relationship, so this should not have the slightest consequence.
“We hope that this situation will be resolved without the worker's rights being tainted and recall that the AFE is available to any footballer who may feel injured in his rights as a worker.”
Barcelona have already explicitly stated that Dembele is not in the squad for Thursday’s Copa del Rey match with Athletic due to his contract winding down.
