Barcelona president Joan Laporta has pledged his support to Lamine Yamal over the winger’s controversial birthday party, insisting his only issue with the event is that he did not attend it himself.
Yamal turned 18 earlier this month and flooded social media with images of an extravagant party which ultimately ended up landing him in hot water when he was accused of breaking the law by hiring people with dwarfism solely for entertainment purposes.
Spanish law prohibits “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”.
Following threats of an investigation from Spanish authorities, both Yamal and his father brushed off the allegations after one of the performers in question publicly assured critics that there was nothing to be concerned about.
“It was a private party, and whatever Lamine does now, and he knows it, will always be in the spotlight and in the eye of the storm,” Laporta told Mundo Deportivo. “For me, he threw an 18th birthday party, and what I regret is not having gone. It was an extraordinary party; they had a great time and were very elegant.
“The reason? They’re 18. They chose this one, and it’s kind of fun. He did it with his friends, with people from the entertainment world and the current world—YouTube stars, influencers, TikTokers, singers.
“In that sense, I’m glad he threw a good party. It was in the private sphere, then he came to train, and he trains like no other. And in that sense, I have nothing to blame him for. On the contrary, I want to congratulate him, and I’m glad they had fun at a birthday party.”
Yamal was back in training the day after his party and continued his celebrations by picking up Barcelona’s famous No.10 shirt, which has already set merchandise records in Catalonia.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘What I Regret Is’—Barcelona President Gives Verdict on Lamine Yamal Birthday Controversy.
