Lamine Yamal under investigation after his 18th birthday

The Spanish Government has requested prosecutors to investigate whether Lamine Yamal broke the law in hiring dwarves to work his 18th birthday party.
- Barcelona starlet could be fined up to €1m
- Government official says “the law applies to everyone”
- Concerns behaviour will rub off on impressionable young fans
WHAT HAPPENED?
Spain’s Ministry of Social Rights has called on prosecutors and the Office for Combating Hate Crimes to investigate whether the country’s disability law has been violated. The law strictly prohibits acts which mock or denigrate people with disabilities. Reports suggest Yamal hired people with dwarfism to work at this 18th birthday party on Sunday.

THE BIGGER PICTURE
The Director of General Disability, Jesus Martin, has called for an investigation, and spoken on the allegations in an interview with Spanish news agency EFE. Martin said he was concerned that “people with money, people with power, beleive they can go unpunished”. If Yamal is found to have broken the law, he faces a fine of up to €1 million; The Association of People with Achondroplasia and Other Skeletal Dysplasias with Dwarfism has threatened legal action against the Barcelona starlet.
WHAT MARTIN SAID
Martín said: “We are concerned that people with money, people with power, believe themselves to be unpunished. The law is for everyone, for the humble and for the powerful.
“Let the appropriate investigations be opened, and let action be taken based on the findings.”
He added he was concerned that “a young man with so many followers, an influencer for young people, would throw these kinds of parties, which could have a knock-on effect on youth.”

WHAT NEXT FOR YAMAL?
The youngster will be hoping to focus on his football, as he and his Barcelona teammates have returned to pre-season training ahead of the 2025/26 campaign. This story is likely to rumble on however, as other allegations of behaviour relating to the party have hit the headlines.