A surprise strike at Barcelona: does it threaten El Clasico?

A crisis off the pitch strikes the Catalan club

Barcelona are in the grip of a labour crisis just hours before one of the season's most eagerly awaited matches, with the fallout spreading to several sporting events inside their facilities. Attempts to contain a strike involving around 60 employees have failed, yet the club insists the Clasico against Real Madrid will go ahead unchanged.

According to the Catalan newspaper "Mundo Deportivo", Barcelona have confirmed Sunday evening's clash with Real Madrid at the "Camp Nou" will run as normal in the Spanish league, despite the strike called by a group of workers on intermittent contracts over the weekend.

The decision followed stalled negotiations at the Catalonia labour court, where the two parties failed to reach any agreement. The strike will now run from midnight tonight, Friday, through to six o'clock on Monday morning.

Those taking part want to protest against what they see as a deterioration in their working conditions. Chief among their demands is the provision of enough staff to cover the logistical requirements of organising sporting events at the club.

Sources at Barcelona insist the club has the organisational capacity to handle any emergency and guarantee that the scheduled matches go ahead, all without replacing striking workers in breach of the law.

Yet the Clasico is not the only fixture under threat. The strike also hangs over several other Barcelona matches this weekend, foremost the women's team's clash with Granada on Saturday in the Spanish women's league at the "Johan Cruyff" stadium.

The handball team host Rebi Cuenca on Friday in the Spanish handball league at the "Palau Blaugrana", while the basketball team face Casademont Zaragoza on Saturday in the Spanish basketball league at the same venue.