Barcelona's Lamine Yamal Is Under Investigation For Hiring Little People To Perform At His 18th Birthday Party

BBC – Spain's Ministry of Social Rights has asked the country's prosecutor's office to investigate Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal after he reportedly hired people with dwarfism to perform at his 18th birthday party.

Lamine Yamal hosted a party on Sunday at a rented property in Olivella, a small town 50 kilometres north west of Barcelona, with guests including YouTubers, influencers, and several Barcelona team-mates.

It is alleged Lamine Yamal hired a group of entertainers with dwarfism, something the Association of People with Achondroplasia and other Skeletal Dysplasias in Spain (ADEE) described as "unacceptable in the 21st century".

When contacted by BBC Sport, the Directorate General for People with Disabilities - part of the Ministry of Social Rights, ConsumerAffairs, and 2030 Agenda - said: "ADEE has filed a legal complaint.

If you're not a fútbol guy, Lamine Yamal is next up. The young GOAT. Arguably the best soccer player in the world right now, and today is his third day of being a legal adult. At 16-years old, he was doing this against the best players in the world at the 2024 UEFA Euro's. He was a major reason Spain won gold. 

He's an incredible talent. I'm not a big soccer guy. I can count on one hand the number of soccer players who I thoroughly enjoy watching. Rarely does a player actually make me feel like something exciting is about to happen when they touch the ball. But Lamine Yamal is one of them, and he may still be a decade away from his prime.

The kid finally became an adult on Sunday. Imagine turning 18-years old and knowing you're set for life financially. What a non-real seeming life that must be. Lamine Yamal's whole career has been planned out for him as far back as he can remember. He joined Barcelona at 7-years old to play for their youth academy, and has been riding a rocket ship of success ever since.

So to celebrate the impossible level of success he's achieved before being legally allowed to vote, he threw an 18th birthday party that would make Jordan Belfort blush. The first order of business: Bussing in a team of very small entertainers.

There was a time where bussing in a team of little people was as politically correct as it gets. People hadn't even been made aware that "m*dget" was a slur yet. But times have changed. What used to be a lucrative, albeit sometimes dehumanizing revenue stream for those born with dwarfism (the little person entertainment industry), is now stain on our society. According to the Association of People With Spinal Deformities and Dwarfism, it's a disgusting slap in the face to people with spinal deformities and dwarfism across the world. Or at least across Spain. 

"Therefore, this Directorate General has asked the Prosecutor's Office to investigate to determine whether the law and, therefore, the rights of people with disabilities have been violated."

The ADEE said it "publicly denounces the hiring of people with dwarfism as part of the entertainment," and said it would take legal action as it "perpetuates stereotypes, fuels discrimination, and undermines the image and rights" of people with disabilities.

In a statement it said: "These actions violate not only current legislation but also the fundamental ethical values of a society that seeks to be egalitarian and respectful.

"The general law on the rights of persons with disabilities expressly prohibits the following practices: 'Shows or recreational activities in which people with disabilities or other circumstances are used to provoke mockery, ridicule, or derision from the public in a manner contrary to the respect due to human dignity are prohibited'."

Which must be terrible news for this particular group of artists with dwarfism who make a living entertaining at parties. Who's #1 hook is that they are small. People who are simply playing the cards they were dealt in life to the best their ability. It'd be one thing if Lamine Yamal hired a classically trained musician who just so happened to be a little person. Along with a free lance computer programmer, an electrician, and a guy who trims small bushes. Then when they all showed up to his house for work, he painted them orange and demanded they perform the Oompa-Loompa song. That would be in bad taste. 

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But that doesn't seem to be the case here. In fact, one of the alleged entertainers who was hired by Lamine Yamal gave an interview with a Spanish radio station, in which she assured people that their group of entertainers were perfectly happy with everything that went down at the party.

However, Spanish radio station RAC1, external broadcast an interview with someone claiming to be one of the entertainers present at the party who defended Lamine Yamal.

"No-one disrespected us, we worked in peace," said the artist, who asked to remain anonymous.

"I don't understand why there's so much hype. We're normal people, who do what we want, in an absolutely legal way.

"We work as entertainers. Why can't we do it? Because of our physical condition?

"We know what our limit is and we will never exceed it: we are not fairground monkeys."

The performer said it lasted one hour, and afterwards the entertainers joined in with the party.

"We dance, we distribute drinks, we do magic… there are many types of shows. Everyone had a great time."

Sounds like a blast to me. You could almost argue that's progressive. They had the opportunity to perform at an ultra-rich professional athlete's birthday party with some of the biggest soccer stars in the world. And when they were done with work, they got to join in on the fun. 

To completely strip a group of people of their free will, and not allow them to make a decision for themselves as to whether or not what they're doing is disrespectful to them… that just doesn't make sense to me. It's one thing if you're mocking someone else's culture. It's one thing if Lamine Yamal and his buddies hired this group to do one thing, then flipped the script on them and went full Wolf of Wall Street.

But if the person who was interviewed on the radio is giving an accurate account of the party (which I'm guessing they are, because I haven't seen anyone else from the group speak out against them), then the act of Lamine Yamal hiring a group of willing professionals to perform at his party seems like a massive non-story.

On top of that, there's another aspect of Lamine Yamal's birthday party that he's catching heat for. Turns out people with dwarfism were not the only group of entertainers he required very specific dimensions for.

Not gonna lie, that sounds a little more sketchy. Not the concept of hiring attractive women for your party. That's a full-blown industry at this point. But at least give the girls some idea as to what's expected of them. If I got a message from a stranger who asked for my bra size, then told me to show up at a random location without my cell phone… even for $20K, I'm not sure I'm taking him up on that offer. But in the end, if what happened at the party was on the up and up, that probably shouldn't be too big of a deal either. Maybe just add a few more details to your "invite" next time. 

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Sounds like it was a hell of a party. If only I was two-feet shorter and lived in Spain. Or half-a-foot shorter with blonde hair and an awesome rack. I could have been there too.