Player denounces “abusive behavior” in Barcelona

BARCELONA — Gio Queiroz, a Barcelona player on loan this season to Levante, published an open letter to the president of the Barça club, Joan Laporta, in which he denounced “abusive behavior within Barcelona’s women’s football.”

The case, which dates back to February 2021, was already reported by the soccer player to FIFA, which ruled that the club had not committed any irregularity, which was corroborated, also at the time, by the club’s own Compliance.

PLAYER VERSION
Queiroz stated that the complaint, with all the details, main grounds and other evidence, has already been sent to the club’s board of directors and that those responsible for the abusive behavior have been perfectly identified.

The striker explained that she arrived at the club in July 2020, at just 17 years old, and that she was very well received by the players and the coaching staff and entered into a good dynamic until she received the first call-up for the Brazilian team. “From that moment I began to receive a different treatment from within,” she said.

“First I received indications that playing for the Brazilian team would not be the best for my future within the club. Despite the unpleasant and persistent harassment, I did not give much importance and attention to the matter, ”he continued.

The striker, who has triple Spanish, American and Brazilian nationality, said that they began to corner her “in an abusive manner” so that she would give up defending her country’s team with arbitrary methods and with the clear objective of harming her professional life within of the club.

Queiroz also denounced that in February 2021 she was subjected to illegal confinement by the head of medical services because she stated that she would be a close contact of a positive covid case.

“From the beginning, I sensed that the real reasons for the confinement were others. As the doctor’s order was contrary to health protocol, I contacted the Catalan Health Department directly and asked for clarification. The answer was clear and forceful. My case was not and could not be considered a close contact according to the current health protocol, ”she continued.

“When questioned, she replied: ‘Your case is different. I was authorized to make a special confinement for you.’ I, indignant, still asked: How special? She avoided the subject and never answered me. In the end, they illegally locked me up and I couldn’t leave the house. I couldn’t train or have a normal routine. She was devastated. That arbitrariness also meant not traveling with the team to the final of the Copa de la Reina, ”she said.

After complying with the imposed quarantine, the player, according to her version, received authorization from FIFA to join the Brazilian team in the United States, with full knowledge of the club, and before traveling and during the concentration period, a several PCR tests, always with a negative result.

Queiroz said that, when he returned to Barcelona, ​​he was called to a meeting with the club director in which he was accused of having committed serious indiscipline and that, therefore, he would be removed from the team and suffer serious consequences.

“They unfairly accused me of having breached the confinement, of having traveled without authorization from the club and without the consent of the team captains. I tried to show that this was not true. He was adamant, quite aggressive, and in a threatening tone he told me: “Don’t worry. We’ll take good care of you.” “I panicked. I feared for my future,” he revealed.

After this meeting, Queiroz pointed out that her situation changed forever and she was completely exposed to humiliating and embarrassing moments for months. “It was clear that he sought to destroy my reputation, undermine my self-esteem, degrade my working conditions, and belittle and underestimate my psychological conditions,” he said.

“The fact of being a minor does not seem to have been an impediment, a moral dilemma for my aggressor. He planned and carried out each of his raids without any objection. He certainly acted with the feeling of impunity, that he had the protection of his position within FC Barcelona”, he added.

Lastly, Queiroz hoped that Barcelona would fulfill its institutional role and act consistently and transparently, investigating and denouncing possible crimes to the relevant authorities. “I also hope that the club, through its president, commits to implementing effective measures to combat the evident and well-documented problem of moral abuse, workplace harassment and psychological violence against women,” he concluded.

CLUB POSITION
In Barcelona the news was received “with surprise” this Tuesday, a source from the club told ESPN, pointing out that the issue was closed and without assessing the opportunism of coming to light precisely before the Camp Nou hosts the women’s team match against Real Madrid in the Champions League, with the media impact that this entails.

According to the club, the player, in February 2021, was confined to her home for being in close contact with a person positive for Covid, following the health instructions and under the prescription of the club’s medical services, having to undergo a quarantine.

It happened that she was called up by the Brazilian team and despite the fact that Barcelona told the CBF that it was impossible for Gio to travel to the United States to join the national team, she, at her own risk and against what was indicated by Barça, he went to Orlando.

At that time, Gio Queiroz had a record for the Barcelona subsidiary, although he often trained with the first team, and as soon as he returned from the call-up for the Brazilian team (which paid him $25,000), he was informed that because of his indiscipline he would not return. to be related, for the time being, with the first squad.

“We are very scrupulous in all cases… The day before playing a game in London against Arsenal, Patri Guijarro tested positive and was confined to London for ten days,” said the source consulted, by way of example, in the form of acting that Barcelona has.”What is beyond any doubt is that it was not, as it says, an illegal confinement”.

“He denounced FIFA and the club’s Compliance and in both cases Barça’s actions were right for not having respected the quarantine. The case was closed… And now we find this. Outrageous,” he explained. from Barça itself, where there is only evidence, for the moment, of this open letter but not of the existence of a complaint before the courts.

With information from EFE