Nobody saw this coming. The biggest Clasico in world football, Barcelona against Real Madrid, is under threat from a crisis that has nothing to do with cards or injuries. An all-out strike has hit the heart of the Catalan club just 48 hours before kick-off.
According to "Mundo Deportivo", Barcelona's seasonal staff have announced an open-ended strike beginning at 00:00 on Friday 23 October and running until 06:00 on Monday 26 October. That window covers the Clasico scheduled for Sunday 25 October at nine in the evening, plus other fixtures at the Blaugrana's home and the Johan Cruyff Stadium.
Barcelona respond firmly: the Clasico is a red line
Barcelona moved quickly to kill off any speculation about the summit being postponed or cancelled. An official statement confirmed that all the services required to stage the match are guaranteed, and that the celebration of the Clasico is not in danger at all.
A match of this magnitude draws around 80,000 people, the club explained, including supporters and administrative and organisational staff. Barca insist they have the organisational capacity to handle any emergency and ensure the matches run entirely smoothly.
The group calling for the strike numbers no more than 60 seasonal workers, each with their own collective labour agreement negotiated with their representatives, and they earn wages far above the sector average, according to the club. Their demands? Pay rises and a 50% increase in the number of staff, taking it to around 90 employees.
Counter-attack: Barcelona cite their rivals Real Madrid
Then came a striking twist. Barcelona levelled implicit criticism at their own old model, arguing that employing dedicated staff for certain support services has become "outdated".
Clubs such as Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Espanyol do not carry a comparable number of permanent seasonal workers for these services, the Catalan club noted, using external providers instead. The reference was to security, customer service and cleaning.
Talks will continue with the group of staff on fixed-term contracts, the statement concluded, taking their needs into account and managing resources responsibly. But not at the cost of staging the most important match of the season.