Spain fines its soccer federation for not having harassment protocol in place at Women's World Cup
The Spanish soccer federation and Barcelona soccer club have been fined an undisclosed sum by Spain’s labor ministry for not meeting workplace regulations regarding gender equality
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The Spanish soccer federation and Barcelona soccer club have been fined an undisclosed sum by Spain’s labor ministry for not meeting workplace regulations regarding gender equality.
The ministry said Wednesday that the federation, along with Barcelona and two second-division clubs, failed to meet regulations obliging workplaces with at least 50 employees to have “equality plans” in place.
The ministry said in an email to The Associated Press that it ordered an inspection of clubs with women’s soccer teams and the national soccer federation after the federation president caused an international uproar when he kissed forward Jenni Hermoso during the trophy presentation at last year’s Women’s World Cup. He has since lost his job and now faces trial for sexual assault.
The inspection found that the federation had also failed to have a working protocol to handle cases of sexual harassment, as required by law, at the time of the incident.
