Barcelona have rejected doubts cast on their commitment to gender equality policies after being fined an undisclosed sum by Spain’s labour ministry for not meeting workplace regulations.
Spain’s vice president and labour minister Yolanda Díaz said on Wednesday that Barça — along with the Spanish Football Federation [RFEF] and two other lower-league clubs — failed to meet regulations obliging workplaces with at least 50 employees to have “equality plans” in place.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)
In a statement in response, Barça insisted they have had an equality plan in place since 2013 and said that, at the time of the inspection by the ministry, they were working on updating said plan.
“It is also incorrect to state that protocols for sexual harassment do not exist,” the Catalan club added. “We have, since 2020, had a protocol for the prevention and approach to sexual harassment for reasons of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.
“The club have not been penalised for wage divergence, either. We have not been notified of any non-compliance related to wage differentials and consequently there is no penalisation for the club in this matter.”
The statement went on to say that Barça are “a pioneer in the world of sport in relation to policies of equality between men and women.”
