Barcelona accused of discrimination between girls and boys in La Masia academy

Barcelona have been accused of treating the girls in their La Masia differently to the boys in terms of the support they get to further their career. While it is one thing to debate about the budgets and wages at the professional level, the Blaugrana have gone directly against what star midfielders Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmati have asked of women’s football.

According to Radio Catalunya, Barcelona have cut back on the support offered to the children training at La Masia. Previously, Barcelona paid for a taxi service to pick children up and ferry them to training if they were living outside of the La Masia residence in the surrounding areas close to Barcelona.

However they still offer a bus service that will at least collect a number of academy talents from certain points facilitating their journey to training and games. The girls teams on the other hand do not receive any support, financial or in terms of transport, to get to the Ciutat Esportiva. Given training tends to be three to four times a week, plus at least one match per week, this can put an enormous strain on a family.

Bonmati and Putellas have consistently demanded not extortionate wages, but better professionalism, and that the route be open to young girls in order to make a living out of the game. Bonmati in particular has spoken about the extra sacrifices that she had to make as a child, often training at 10 at night, when the pitches were free – a time that obviously takes its toll on the life of a teenager.