With a notable performance so far in the Euro Cup, the Spanish team He secured first place in his group and his place in the round of 16 after beating Italy last Friday. However, not everything is joy for the team led by Luis de la Fuente, since faces a possible financial penalty for a German legal issue.
According to German media reports such as BILD and ZDF, The Red could be fined up to 30,000 euros Yeah Lamine Yamal16 years old, participates in the next match against Albania. As the local press replied, German youth protection legislation establishes that Minors under 18 years of age cannot work after 8:00 p.m.
At the same time, they also indicated that there is an exception for athletes, allowing them to work until 11:00 p.m.. Although, in any case, the Barcelona footballer would also have failed to comply with that schedule in the last match against the azzurra.
In the match against Italy, which was played at 9:00 p.m. and ended around 11:00 p.m., although Lamine Yamal was substituted in the 71st minute (around 10:30 p.m.), the post-match process: shower, give interviews and go through the mixed zone, caused the young man to exceed the permitted time limit.
This could be repeated this Monday if Spain includes the player in the match against Albania, also scheduled for 9:00 p.m. In any case, it is expected that De la Fuente will rotate the team and give his starters a rest (including Yamal), because they have already obtained their ticket to the next round.
To give a legal tone to the matter, Bild contacted a legal expert (Stephan Graf from the University of Konstanz), who stated that the Spanish team He will not face sporting consequences, but he will face economic consequences. So far, no measures have been taken in the sports field for similar situations, but the risk of a fine is still present.
Despite this, no German authority has formally warned UEFA or to Spain about the impossibility of minors participating in night games.
The situation of Lamine Yamal It is unique in this Euro Cup, since he is the only minor player registered in the tournament. Other young players like Warren Zaire-Emery from France, Samuel Sauer from Slovakia and Giorgi Sigua from Georgia They have already turned 18 years oldeliminating the risk of violating Germany’s youth protection law.
The Spanish team has shown a high level in the tournament, with resounding victories such as the 3-0 against Croatia and the recent victory against Italy. The capacity of integrate young talents like Lamine Yamal has been one of the key factors in the team’s success.
When asked what he feels about being the youngest player in the Euro Cup, the attacker responded: “It doesn’t scare me, I play the same. I try to focus on playing well and I think in the end it only helps me because when I do something well it will be magnified because of my age, obviously. I think it only helps me.”
