Barcelona’s long-awaited return to the renovated Spotify Camp Nou has been overshadowed by yet another controversy, this time involving serious labour violations uncovered during the stadium’s reconstruction.
A labour inspection has revealed that several Turkish workers were employed illegally by subcontractor Extreme Works, resulting in a hefty €1.09m (£1m) fine.
According to Marca, Treball, the Catalan labour authority, discovered that the workers had been operating for months without the required permits, marking a grave breach of Spanish immigration and labour law.
The discovery forms part of an ongoing pattern of irregularities linked to the massive redevelopment project.
79 workers dismissed after investigation
The investigation began in September after a complaint from the union CCOO. Once Treball uncovered the irregularities, Extreme Works promptly dismissed all 79 Turkish workers and arranged for them to be sent back to Turkey, although reports indicate that not all of them returned.
This is not the first time labour violations have been detected during the Camp Nou redevelopment. Previous cases involving workers from multiple countries lacking proper contracts or permits have already resulted in €3m (£2.6m) in fines and more than 200 sanctioning proceedings.
Some workers said they only realised their employment was illegal when they attempted to travel home to see their families. Many claimed they were deceived before arriving in Spain.
Ongoing turmoil in Camp Nou reconstruction
Treball found that the subcontractor had supplied welders, electricians and safety technicians without proper authorisation, further deepening concerns about oversight across the reconstruction project.
Several workers approached CCOO seeking to regularise their status, only for the company to respond by dismissing them under the pretext that their work had been completed.
This latest scandal adds to the growing list of complications facing a project already criticised for delays, budget concerns and operational mismanagement. The future of the workers' complaints now remains uncertain, but the fallout threatens to drag on.
FGG Says
Barcelona’s stadium rebuild continues to lurch from one crisis to another, and this latest revelation is particularly damaging. Labour violations on a project of this scale are unacceptable, and the fine reflects the gravity of the situation.
Beyond the financial penalty, the allegations paint a troubling picture of oversight failures and subcontracting chaos. For a club attempting to rebrand itself with a modernised home, these setbacks undermine the positive narrative surrounding the Camp Nou’s return, and the situation needs to be addressed as soon as possible.