BARCELONA suffered a Champions League battering against Chelsea on Tuesday – and they are already in hot water just days after moving back to the Nou Camp.
The reigning LaLiga champions had been hosting games at the Olympic Stadium in Montjuic before returning to their home for the first time since May 2023 last weekend.
Barcelona marked the occasion by sealing a 4-0 win over Athletic Bilbao, courtesy of goals from Robert Lewandowski, Fermin Lopez and a Ferran Torres brace.
But they have already found themselves in serious trouble after inspections by the Catalan Ministry of Labour.
Spanish media outlet Marca has reported that a fine of £1million has been imposed after Extreme Works, one of the subcontractors involved in the stadium’s reconstruction, employed 79 illegal workers.
The company had Turkish welders, electricians and safety technicians working at the Nou Camp without the right permits to have a job in Spain.
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One of the workers told El Periodico: “They tricked us. When they brought us here, they told us everything was sorted, that everything would be legal, and it wasn’t.
“If we had known, we wouldn’t have come.”
The illegal workers only realised that they had been employed without the needed documentation when they wanted to return to Turkey to visit their loved ones.
They had not been hired before travelling to Barcelona for the job, notified the labour authorities of their decision to relocate or complied with other legal requirements.
Extreme Works dismissed all 79 of the illegal workers after an investigation was launched on September 25, and they were told to head back to Turkey.
Barcelona invested £1.25billion into the project to redevelop the Nou Camp.
The LaLiga heavyweights will host Alaves on Saturday before also welcoming Atletico Madrid to their new-look home on December 2.
Hansi Flick’s side will be looking to bounce back after being condemned to a 3-0 defeat by Chelsea in the Champions League.
A Jules Kounde own goal, along with strikes from Estevao Willian and Liam Delap, consigned Barcelona to a heavy loss after Ronald Araujo had also been sent off.
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