Sports

Barcelona receive legal warning after threat made to Dembele

Published

2 years ago

January 20, 2022

Barcelona have been warned by the AFE (Spanish Players’ Union) over their threat made to forward Ousmane Dembele.

It follows comments from Barca’s sporting director Mateu Alemany on Thursday that “we have told him he must leave the club as soon as possible”, after no agreement could be found on a new contract.

Barca boss Xavi Hernandez feels cheated by the Frenchman and the player was handed a final warning by the coach on Wednesday in what appeared to be a transfer ultimatum.

That preceded the club excluding the forward – who is out of contract at the Camp Nou in June – from the squad travelling to Athletic Bilbao in Thursday night’s Copa del Rey clash.

The Catalan club have already completed the signing of Ferran Torres from Manchester City this month in what appears to be a direct replacement for Dembele in the squad..

Yet the demand from Barca’s sporting director Alemany that the player “must leave the club as soon as possible” has drawn the wrath of the AFE, who say that such a claim is in breach of the player’s contract..

The union believe that such comments infringe on the player’s “labour rights” which come into force when a contract between the two parties is signed.

An AFE statement reads: “In relation to the situation experienced by the FC Barcelona footballer Ousmane Dembele, the Association of Spanish Footballers wants to express the following:

“The AFE considers that the signing of an employment contract as a professional soccer player obliges him to provide his services on behalf of the club following the instructions provided to him.

“On the other hand, the club is obliged to pay the agreed wages and allow the provision of services under the same conditions as the rest of his teammates, without there being any type of discrimination or pressure for the athlete to waive their labour rights.