Courtesy:
Herald SunFutsal star Jonathan Barrientos fired from job while representing Australia, brother claimsSeptember 20, 2016THE family of Futsalroos player Jonathan Barrientos have made angry claims the star athlete has been sacked from his day job while he represents Australia at the FIFA Futsal World Cup.
Barrientos is playing futsal, a five-a-side version of soccer played indoors, at the world championship event in Colombia.
But his brother Carlos claims the Futsalroo was unfairly dismissed from his job as a fitness instructor after he was initially approved time off.
“Absolutely disgusting,” Carlos Barrientos wrote on his Facebook page.
“My brother goes to represent his country, fulfil a dream and then gets fired from his job after his time off was initially approved. What a disgrace.”
But the fury took a bittersweet turn when Carlos appealed for calm when some posts contained expletives and threats.
Carlos responded: “We have to think and react when our blood is not boiling because we can’t take back what is said.”
Carlos claimed his brother “made sure 100%” he had “obtained his boss’s authorisation to go and represent our country in this great event.”
His employer congratulated Jonathan Barrientos in a social media post last month, with the words: “What an amazing achievement.”
Two weeks ago, in an interview with the Football Australia website, Jonathan Barrientos said: “It’s definitely special for me playing a World Cup for my country, Australia, in the country where my parents were born, it means a lot.”
He also said his mother passed away four years ago, and “this is a special way to honour her and her family as well.”
A fan site for the late Australian soccer star Johnny Warren weighed into the controversy, saying: “We need to do more to help talented athletes succeed not hinder their progress.”
Confidential has sought comment from the employer.
Posted by
Luca Ranocchiari -->
luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com
